GREENSBORO, N.C. — Your social security number is the way to identify you. It's tied to you personally, financially, and medically. Which is why the scammers want it.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost more than $126 million to Social Security scammers last year. How do they do it? Scammers claim to be from Social Security or Medicare or some other entity and use phone calls, texts, emails, and direct messages on social media.
Scammers may say something like:
Your social security number has been suspended.
Act now to protect your Social Security number.
We need to verify your Social Security number.
"If you feel yourself getting a little agitated with a message or a call, breathe, take a deep breath, and say wait a second I'm going to disengage from this. Do not click on any links, and do not give any of your personal information. Guard this very closely. This is so important. Don't give anyone your personal information," said Jill Schlesinger, CBS News Business Analyst.
Let me ask you, do you think Social Security has enough people working in the office and those people have time to call you? If you've ever tried to call them or go there in person, you know they don't.
It's scary to think something could be wrong with your Social Security number, your Medicare number, or your bank account and that's what the scammers are counting on, for you to be scared and click a link or share information.
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