I just got a robocall claiming to be from the Social Security Administration claiming that, due to “suspicious activity”, my SS # has been ‘suspended’, but helpfully added that I could press 1 for more information.
I hit 1 and was connected to a heavily-accented fellow who said he needed my name before we could proceed. I was suspicious and did not want to tell him anything, and asked if I could just call the SS admin back at a better time.
Sure! Then he called me by my first name and explained that I had to call the office in El Paso, TX because that is where the suspicious activity occurred.
Yeah, in El Paso and also over my phone. Why would I need to contact a local office? Isn’t SS a federal program? Anyway, my question for the dope is: is suspending someone’s SS # for reasons like this even a thing? I have never heard of it, but don’t want to neglect myself into more problems if this actually turns out to be legit.
2004 Toyota Corolla, southern border of The Taxas, blood stains, drug residue, 22 lbs of cocaine, rented under your nayme and social, arres waran pepper coming at your door, need to buy gift cards from (Walmart, Best Buy, Target, etc) to have the warrant canceled.
Look up scambaiting on Youtube for a metric shitload of videos. IRS, Social Security, Microsoft refund/tech support.
If your social was suspended, what would it even matter?
Now, if someone else is using it, that can be a problem. but it’s not a problem that’s going to get you, the rightful user of that number, into any trouble.
The way the scam goes is the caller claims that not only will your SSN be suspended but all bank accounts will be frozen so they track down the real culprit (there’s also a claim of numerous bank accounts wiring 100s of thousands of dollars everywhere), you need to withdraw all your money, buy gift cards (“Safety locker”), give them the numbers to register your money and the next day, officials will arrive with your new SSN and a cashiers check for the full amount you “registered”. Needless to say, your money is long gone.
Thanks for the answers, folks. The question probably makes me look a little dumb, but better safe than sorry, and the dope really is the best place for something like this.
Ok, who wants to buy a Gwenneth Paltow’s vagina scented candle?
That’s how it’s advertised is all I can say. It might be a scam too, but the kind where you really do end up with an ostensibly vagina scented candle at the end. And who among us hasn’t been there?
The SSA (and the IRS) will never contact you by phone. If they have any business with you, they will communicate with you by letter. If you get such a phone call, don’t answer it. If they leave a voicemail, delete it.
Mine has been cancelled several times. Also, some guy has video of me masturbating and is going to send them to my entire contact list if I don’t send him something called bitecones (something like that).
And the police are going to knock down my door any moment if I don’t buy the “Federal Revenue Office” a bunch of gift cards.
I should never have gotten out of bed this morning.
I’d like to contact those hackers too, buy their tech. Apparently they have videos of several people in our firm, even though they are on a Terminal server with no audio or camera services.
