Inspector General Declares March 5 National “Slam the Scam” Day

Victims lost nearly $153 million just in the 2019 fiscal year alone.

The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration has declared March 5, 2020 as National “Slam the Scam” Day in an attempt to raise awareness for government phone scams.

The scams, in which callers pretend to be government employees to get people to reveal personal information or make payments, has become the number one type of consumer fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission and Social Security Administration.

The Federal Trade Commission reported that victims lost nearly $153 million to government imposter scams just in the 2019 fiscal year alone.

The Social Security Administration says they will never:

• Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended.
• Call and threaten to arrest or take legal action if you do not immediately pay a debt or fee.
• Request immediate payment via gift cards or internet currency.
• Demand secrecy from you regarding a Social Security-related problem.

Inspector General Gail Ennis said, “Awareness is our best bet to thwart the scammers. Tell your friends and family about these scams and report them to us when you receive them, but most importantly, just hang up and ignore the calls.”

The Social Security Office of the Inspector General is participating in a USA.gov-hosted Twitter chat at 10 a.m. and a Facebook Live event at 6 p.m. on Thursday to answer questions and provide more information about these scams.

You can report social security scams here, IRS imposter scams here and other government imposter scams here.