Scammers Won’t Let Up. Neither Will We!
Join us on March 6, 2025 - 6th Annual National Slam the Scam Day
From their pervasive imposter phone calls, texts, emails, social media, and even U.S. mail ploys, scammers are relentless in their efforts to gain access to your money or personal identifying information. Likewise, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) are unwavering in their pursuit to raise awareness.
On March 6, 2025, SSA and OIG will hold the 6th National Slam the Scam Day to keep you informed of the ongoing schemes scammers use. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that consumers lost over $10 billion to scams; and of that $617.9 million to government imposter scams. SSA is still the top government agency targeted by scammers. As of November 2024, government imposter scam losses for 2024 exceeded $577 million, indicating that the scammers are still succeeding in their ruses.
Scammers use your well-earned money to help fuel their criminal enterprises, which according to FTC and FBI reports, may often involve organized crimes such as drug and human trafficking. Moreover, scammers will also draw unsuspecting persons into their crimes to help transfer and move funds stolen from others.
SSA and OIG partner with other government agencies, non-profit organizations, and the private sector to increase awareness about how to spot government imposter scams and keep money and personal information safe.
Although the tactics vary, there are some consistent red flags to help you to spot scams. Always remember the four P’s to assist you in identifying scammers more quickly: 1) Scammers will pretend to be from a legitimate, reputable agency or business to gain your trust; 2) Scammers will then often present a prize, such as an offer to increase your benefits,or make you aware of an unknown problem with your account or with an agency, such as SSA; 3) Scammers will pressure you to act immediately; and 4) Scammers will ask for hard-to-trace payments, such as with a gift card, cryptocurrency, gold bars, wire transfers, or by mailing cash. Knowing the 4Ps will give you the confidence to speedily slam the scam.
“Slam the Scam is one of our most effective anti-fraud measures and we are excited to spearhead the 6th National Slam the Scam Day. This campaign is just as significant as our first one because the losses are still too high and the number of consumers being scammed is still very concerning,” said Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General, Michelle L. Anderson.
“We must constantly remind the public of evolving scams – not only SSA-related imposter scams but other types of scams to help consumers avoid the risks involved when their PII and money are compromised. My office is committed to helping to reduce Social Security-related scams and working with our partners to raise scam awareness on a national level. We encourage everyone to slam the scam! We urge consumers to disconnect from interactions with the scammer, whether it’s on the phone, or via text or email. That’s the only effective measure to avoid losing one’s personal identifying information or possessions.”
Consumer awareness is the most effective method of deterring these crimes, therefore, we hold National Slam the Scam Day annually as part of the Federal Trade Commission’s National Consumer Protection Week, (NCPW), March 2-8, 2025.
On March 6, 2025, National Slam the Scam Day, partners host social media chats to empower the public to Slam the Scam by sharing tips for spotting scams.
Tips for spotting scams is critical in raising awareness. Visit SSA and SSA OIG’s joint site (ssa.gov/scam) for resources, tips, and alerts and to report Social Security-related scams. SSA OIG urges everyone to be cautious of any contact supposedly from a government agency telling you about a problem you don’t recognize and provides the following tips.
Real government officials will NEVER:
· threaten arrest or legal action against you unless you immediately send money;
· promise to increase your benefits or resolve a problem if you pay a fee or move your money into a protected account;
· require payment with gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfer, Internet currency, or by mailing cash; or
· try to gain your trust by providing fake “documentation,” false “evidence,” or the name of a real government official.
Additional resources for the press and public can be found in the Press Kit (ssa.gov).
Report Social Security-related scams and fraud online at https://oig.ssa.gov.
Other government imposter scams may be reported to the Federal Trade Commission https://www.ftc.gov/scams. Join us on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to follow along on National Slam the Scam Day using #SlamTheScam and visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam for more information.
Scammers frequently change their approach, trying new tactics and messaging to trick people. We encourage you to stay up to date on the latest news and advisories by following SSA OIG on X (Twitter) and Facebook or subscribing to receive email alerts.
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Social Security will never threaten, scare, or pressure you to take an immediate action. Recognize the signs of a Social Security-related scam and report it. Slam the Scam!