SS Scam

[street]

This last week got a call from SS. They told me my SS has been legally garnished because someone has made a claim against me. Anyway it was stated something like that. They said to call a number to get it straightened out.

I called the SS number I had locally and they said, it was a scam call. They have been hitting hard and said they have got a lot of calls from people with the same questions I had. Told me to call SS HOT LINE but waited one hour, I couldn't get on so, I hung up.

Anyone else had a call similar to this?

 

[REWahoo]

Anyone else had a call similar to this?

No.

I don't respond to anything from SS or the IRS unless it comes in an "official" envelope via the USPS. All else is a scam.

 

[scrabbler1]

Did you google the phone number the scammer told you to call? I bet there are websites such as Snopes which have flagged this as a scam.

 

[jollystomper]

SS has very strict guidelines and rarely call someone. A good link to have: https://blog.ssa.gov/is-that-phone-call-from-us/ . Better to assume calls from them are scams.

The IRS never calls you, calls claiming to be from "them" are always a scam.

 

[street]

They gave us a number to call. I did google the number and it was a scam number and had to same message for them as it was for me.

 

[TrvlBug]

We've had a couple of calls recently from X of the Social Security Administration 'Department' advising that 'your social security has been frozen. The number has been involved in illegal activity and they need us to call to straighten it out,' Yeah, right...SCAM.

 

[street]

Yep, same thing they said. I actually was outside and my wife took the call and kind of stopped listening but that was the jest of it. Always somebody after something and up to no good.

 

[OAG]

SS does not initiate calls BUT they do return calls if you are offered the option for a return call when you make a call.

 

[JoeWras]

Notifications like this that are authentic never come in a call.

 

[Just_Steve]

SS can't be garnished for common debt but can be for things like federal taxes, student loans and child support.

 

[akck]

I did get a call from SSA, but it was an interview call, confirming my application info. I believe the online process indicated there might be a call.

 

[JoeWras]

I did get a call from SSA, but it was an interview call, confirming my application info. I believe the online process indicated there might be a call.

Yes. Legit. Calls out of the blue about legal stuff, no.

 

[scrabbler1]

My only concern is if I get a call from the IRS with a question about my tax return (I included it near the signature line), would there be a surefire way to know it's not a scammer? Somehow, the IRS caller would want to verify my identity while I would want to be sure the caller is actually the IRS and not phishing for personal info. Would I simply be better off not including my phone number on my return?

 

[skipro33]

Any contact should be documented through your on-line SS account. Might want to check there for anything.

 

[JoeWras]

My only concern is if I get a call from the IRS with a question about my tax return (I included it near the signature line), would there be a surefire way to know it's not a scammer? Somehow, the IRS caller would want to verify my identity while I would want to be sure the caller is actually the IRS and not phishing for personal info. Would I simply be better off not including my phone number on my return?

When I call the bank, they ask me something like, "Give me a date and amount of a recent deposit to your account."

If the IRS calls you and you are suspicious, ask them to give you a few numbers from the form, or better yet, a previous year. It works both ways, right?

 

[Sunset]

My only concern is if I get a call from the IRS with a question about my tax return (I included it near the signature line), would there be a surefire way to know it's not a scammer? Somehow, the IRS caller would want to verify my identity while I would want to be sure the caller is actually the IRS and not phishing for personal info. Would I simply be better off not including my phone number on my return?

I had this type of thing.
I told them, they could be a scammer, so I needed to know they were not as identify verification goes both ways.

They were shocked to say the least, and claimed they weren't allowed to do that.

So I told them, I'm not telling them anything and hung up., Then I called the real number (from my paperwork) to see what the problem was with my account.

 

[JoeWras]

My health plan has nurses call you to "help you out." When I got one of these cold calls, I told her I'm not telling her anything unless she could produce data to prove her credentials.

She gave a few details that satisfied me. She was not surprised and actually said she gets that request a bunch.

Now, as for the "help," well, I wish I had that 1/2 hour back. Stuff like, make sure I exercise, eat right, track my blood pressure, etc.

 

[aja8888]

My health plan has nurses call you to "help you out." When I got one of these cold calls, I told her I'm not telling her anything unless she could produce data to prove her credentials.

She gave a few details that satisfied me. She was not surprised and actually said she gets that request a bunch.

Now, as for the "help," well, I wish I had that 1/2 hour back. Stuff like, make sure I exercise, eat right, track my blood pressure, etc.

That was going on around here with some of my retired friends. What the nurses calls were all about was to allow the doctor to bill Medicare for a "short office visit". Kind of a scam of sorts.

One of my friends wasn't home and the nurse left a voicemail saying a few things to ensure he was doing the right things to stay healthy. They billed Medicare for that call, even though he was not there to take it.

 

[JoeWras]

That was going on around here with some of my retired friends. What the nurses calls were all about was to allow the doctor to bill Medicare for a "short office visit". Kind of a scam of sorts.

One of my friends wasn't home and the nurse left a voicemail saying a few things to ensure he was doing the right things to stay healthy. They billed Medicare for that call, even though he was not there to take it.

Whoa! Outrageous!

My calls were via Megacorp's plan. Presumably rolled into their admin costs. Somebody always pays for this nonsense.

And I say nonsense because the doctor goes through the same stuff as part of a wellness physical.

 

[audreyh1]

That was going on around here with some of my retired friends. What the nurses calls were all about was to allow the doctor to bill Medicare for a "short office visit". Kind of a scam of sorts.

One of my friends wasn't home and the nurse left a voicemail saying a few things to ensure he was doing the right things to stay healthy. They billed Medicare for that call, even though he was not there to take it.

This is all quite shocking. Outrageous!

 

[youbet]

My only concern is if I get a call from the IRS with a question about my tax return (I included it near the signature line), would there be a surefire way to know it's not a scammer

Yes.

If your phone rings and the caller claims to be from the IRS, then you know it's a scammer. Period.

 

[scrabbler1]

Yes.

If your phone rings and the caller claims to be from the IRS, then you know it's a scammer. Period.

But that doesn't address the instance where I left my phone number for the actual IRS to call me if they had a question about my return. I agree that a phone call from someone claiming to be the IRS is probably a scammer. But I did give the actual IRS my phone number in case they wanted to call me with a question on my return. So the actual IRS could therefore be calling me with a question on my return (not to threaten me with phony punishments for not paying alleged taxes; that would be a scammer).

 

[Jerry1]

My health plan has nurses call you to "help you out." When I got one of these cold calls, I told her I'm not telling her anything unless she could produce data to prove her credentials.

She gave a few details that satisfied me. She was not surprised and actually said she gets that request a bunch.

Now, as for the "help," well, I wish I had that 1/2 hour back. Stuff like, make sure I exercise, eat right, track my blood pressure, etc.

That was going on around here with some of my retired friends. What the nurses calls were all about was to allow the doctor to bill Medicare for a "short office visit". Kind of a scam of sorts.

One of my friends wasn't home and the nurse left a voicemail saying a few things to ensure he was doing the right things to stay healthy. They billed Medicare for that call, even though he was not there to take it.

They do get paid for this, but it’s not a scam. They are required to do it from Medicare. It’s part of their quality score. You’d be surprised how many people never actually connect with a healthcare provider until they are really sick. The belief is that not engaging with a provider is actually more expensive in the long run.

 

[splitwdw]

But that doesn't address the instance where I left my phone number for the actual IRS to call me if they had a question about my return. I agree that a phone call from someone claiming to be the IRS is probably a scammer. But I did give the actual IRS my phone number in case they wanted to call me with a question on my return. So the actual IRS could therefore be calling me with a question on my return (not to threaten me with phony punishments for not paying alleged taxes; that would be a scammer).

"The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail delivered by the United States Postal Service.
However, there are special circumstances in which the IRS will call or come to a home or business, such as when a taxpayer has an overdue tax bill, to secure a delinquent tax return or a delinquent employment tax payment, or to tour a business as part of an audit or during criminal investigations.
Even then, taxpayers will generally first receive several letters (called “notices”) from the IRS in the mail."
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-know-its-really-the-irs-calling-or-knocking-on-your-door

My fil puts his phone number on his tax return "in case they have a question". He's received "notices" in the mail to call them because of mistakes on the forms. He won't let my husband check his return, "I know what I'm doing. I'm not a child." Even then, my husband always makes him call a known phone number to make sure it is the IRS. For some reason my fil thinks the IRS wants to play phone tag with him.

 

[scrabbler1]

"The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail delivered by the United States Postal Service.
However, there are special circumstances in which the IRS will call or come to a home or business, such as when a taxpayer has an overdue tax bill, to secure a delinquent tax return or a delinquent employment tax payment, or to tour a business as part of an audit or during criminal investigations.
Even then, taxpayers will generally first receive several letters (called “notices”) from the IRS in the mail."
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-know-its-really-the-irs-calling-or-knocking-on-your-door

My fil puts his phone number on his tax return "in case they have a question". He's received "notices" in the mail to call them because of mistakes on the forms. He won't let my husband check his return, "I know what I'm doing. I'm not a child." Even then, my husband always makes him call a known phone number to make sure it is the IRS. For some reason my fil thinks the IRS wants to play phone tag with him.

Here is what is shown in the 2017 instruction booklet for Form 1040 (emphasis mine):

"Daytime Phone Number

Providing your daytime phone number may help speed the processing of your return. We may have questions about items on your return, such as the earned income credit or the credit for child and dependent care expenses. If you answer our questions over the phone, we may be
able to continue processing your return without mailing you a letter. If you are filing a joint return, you can enter either your or your spouse's daytime phone number."

Doesn't this conflict with the text you posted from the linked article?