SLAM THE SCAM: Help Prevent Fraud by Government Imposters

The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration (SSA) has designated March 4, 2021 as National “Slam the Scam” Day—an outreach campaign to raise public awareness of government imposter telephone scams. This is part of National Consumer Protection Week, February 28 – March 6, 2021. We are asking you to share information about “Slam the Scam” Day with your clients, friends, and family.

In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission received over 178,000 complaints of government imposter scams. Of those, 10% said they lost money to a scammer—a total of $174.2 million. To prevent further losses, we urge everyone to exercise caution when receiving calls from someone claiming to be from a government agency. To prevent further losses, we urge everyone to exercise caution when receiving calls from someone claiming to be from a government agency.

Our consumer protection message is simple:

– Hang up on suspicious calls from “government officials” calling about a problem with your Social Security number or account.
– NEVER make payments with gift cards, wire transfers, or by mailing cash.
– Report Social Security scams to OIG.SSA.GOV.
– Report other scams to reportfraud.ftc.gov.

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~ Social Security Administration