National Consumer Protection week, which has been sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission since 1998, is soon to be upon us. It runs from March 1 to 7 and is designed to spread awareness and provide information to us, the consumers, on how to best safeguard our own interests, or more specifically, to avoid getting scammed.
Social Security has nailed its colors to this mast with its own Slam the Scam Day, which this year will be on March 5. The choice of day appears quite arbitrary, but the sentiment prevails for an agency whose customers are among the most vulnerable to scamming ploys.
Their webpage dedicated to the day (Slam the Scam Day – Safeguard Your Community from Government Imposters | News | SSA) includes links to how to spread the message but most pertinently emphases the methods used by scammers and what you need to be aware of.
Social Security will not call you out of the blue to tell you there’s a problem that needs to be dealt with right away, and they won’t offer you any prizes. They are never going to get you to pay them on the spot and they never ask for money through Pay Pal, cryptocurrencies, or wire transfers. So, if you get a call like that, you can be sure you have a scammer on the other end of the line.
If you do suspect you’ve witnessed an attempted scam you can contact the Office of the Inspector General at Home | Office of the Inspector General