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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Phone ploys aim to
acquire personal infoQuestion: Recently, someone called and asked me for my husband's Social Security number, and, like a dummy, I gave it without asking for a name. Later, when I asked for her name and number, she refused to give it to me. What should I do now?
Answer: Sounds like you might have been a victim of a scam that the Social Security Administration says is targeting Social Security recipients.
You should never provide your Social Security number or other personal information over the telephone unless you initiated the contact or are confident of the person you are speaking to, said Christina Messner, spokeswoman for the Social Security Administration in Honolulu.
"If in doubt, do not release information without verifying the validity of the call," she said.
You can call the Social Security Administration toll-free at 800-772-1213 to verify a call, or the Office of Inspector General's hot line at 800-269-0271 to report suspicious activity.
In a May 28 news release, the SSA warned the public about scams throughout the United States in which someone claiming to be a Social Security employee tries to get personal information, such as a Social Security or bank account number.
The scammers used various tactics, such as saying the agency was experiencing a power failure and needed to verify someone's information or that the agency needed to verify direct deposit information.
Some people also were told that their Social Security benefits were being cut because they had inherited a house from a relative. But something like that would not result in a reduction of Social Security benefits, officials said.
If you believe your husband's Social Security number got into the wrong hands, Messner said you should:
>> Contact the creditors involved to report fraud and/or cancel the accounts.
>> File a police report and keep a copy of the report as proof of the crime.
>> Contact the fraud units of the three major credit reporting agencies. You can request a copy of your credit report from each bureau to check for signs of fraudulent activity. If fraudulent activity is detected, ask to have a flag placed on your record, requiring creditors to contact you before approving new credit or making changes to an existing account.
The major credit reporting agencies are:
>> Equifax (www.equifax. com) -- call 800-525-6285 to report fraud and 800-685-1111 to get a credit report.If you are or think you have been a victim of identity theft, Messner also said you need to notify the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC maintains a centralized database of allegations of identity theft and provides victims with information to help resolve problems, she said.>> Experian (www.experian. com) -- call 888-397-3742 to report fraud or 888-397-3742 for a credit report.
>> Trans Union (www.tuc. com) -- call 800-680-7289 to report fraud and 800-916-8800 for a credit report.
Contact the FTC online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by calling 877-438-4338. TTY: 202-326-2502.
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