GREENSBORO, NC -- These are the bills of life: rent, power, heat, water, car insurance. The list goes on and on. You pay for them with your income, whether that's a paycheck or your social security check.
So, if there was a threat of either one disappearing, you'd want to fix the issue. And that's what the people behind the latest social security phone scam are counting on.
A 2 Wants To Know (2WTK) viewer got the robocall and sent it to us. It says, “We regret to inform you your social security number is going to be suspended due to suspicious and fraudulent activity.”
An elderly couple got the call. Lucky for them, they have two daughters who keep tabs on who is calling them.
“This man was calling and there was a good chance he would want them to verify their social security number, “ says daughter Becky Holland. “No telling what would have happened.”
It's easy to get caught up in thinking something is wrong and you have to fix it. But verifying information or simply giving your information only leads to trouble.
The Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration has a whole section dedicated to calls, texts and emails like this.
To be clear, Social Security Administration and really no government agency is going to send unsolicited emails or texts or calls which require you to give your personal information.