Social Security impersonation
The caller pretends to be from the Social Security Administration and claims your Social Security number has been suspended or linked to a crime, pressuring you to confirm the number or move money to 'protect' it.
SSA impersonation displaced IRS scams as the dominant government imposter scheme once caller ID spoofing of SSA's real customer-service line became widespread. The 'suspended SSN' premise is pure invention — Social Security numbers are never suspended — but it reliably panics people into 'protecting' savings by moving them to gift cards or crypto ATMs, always with instructions to stay on the line and tell no one. That secrecy demand is the diagnostic: real agencies never chaperone your bank withdrawals by phone.
How to recognize it
- Claims that your SSN has been 'suspended' — SSNs are never suspended
- Requests to confirm your SSN or move money to gift cards or crypto for 'safekeeping'
- Threats of arrest unless you stay on the line
What to do
- Hang up — SSA does not threaten arrest or demand payment by phone
- Report the call to the SSA Office of the Inspector General
- Never 'verify' your SSN to an inbound caller
Where to report
Sources
FAQ
What should I do first if I suspect a social security impersonation call?
Hang up without pressing anything or confirming any details. Hang up — SSA does not threaten arrest or demand payment by phone. Then report it through the channels listed below.
I already gave the caller money or information — now what?
Act on the money first: contact your bank or card issuer immediately, and if you paid by gift card, call the card company to try freezing the balance. Then file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and, if identity data leaked, follow the recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
Does the number that called me identify the scammer?
Usually not — the display is routinely spoofed. Report the number anyway: combined with time and content, it still helps investigators map calling campaigns.