According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), scammers have a new way of stealing Social Security numbers and money from unsuspecting victims.

The FTC warns that some people are getting calls telling them their Social Security number has been suspended and they need to confirm the number, withdraw money or buy gift cards, which is then stolen.

In the past 12 months, more than 76,000 complaints about impostors were reported, resulting in $19 million in losses.

The FTC warns not to trust unknown numbers or give away personal information.

Here's what you should know:

• Your Social Security number is not about to be suspended. You don’t have to verify your number to anyone who calls out of the blue. And your bank accounts are not about to be seized.


• SSA will never call to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards. Anyone who tells you to do those things is a scammer. Every time.


• The real SSA number is 1-800-772-1213, but scammers are putting that number in the caller ID. If you’re worried about what the caller says, hang up and call 1-800-772-1213 to speak to the real SSA. Even if the wait time is long, confirm with the real SSA before responding to one of these calls.


• Never give any part of your Social Security number to anyone who contacts you. Or your financial institution account or credit/debit card number.

If you get one of these calls, tell the FTC immediately.

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