The scammers are at it again and targeting our elderly and those who are collecting Social Security. Senator Susan Collins recently put the warning out to Mainers.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, is warning older Americans of a new scam involving the impersonation of Social Security Administration (SSA) employees.

Reports to the Senate Aging Committee's Fraud Hotline and the SSA Office of the INspector General (OIG) describe how fraudsters call victims, generally from a phone number with a 323 (California) area code, and impersonate Social Security employees.

What they are telling the victims....

The scammers are telling the victims that they are due a cost-of-living-adjustment and request the victims' names, dates-of-birth, Social Security numbers, and parents' names. If this information is given over and the crooks acquire the personal information, then they can use this information to redirect victims' direct deposits to their bank accounts.

Sen. Collins said, "This scam can cause immense harm to seniors, many of whom rely on Social Security benefits as their primary source of income each month." She added, "No one should give any personal information to unknown callers. Anyone receiving an unsolicited call regarding their SS benefits should immediately hang up and report it to the SSA Inspector General and the Senate Aging Committee."

What to do should you receive a call like this?

It is important to remember that SSA employees will never ask for personal information over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and report it to the SSA OIG Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or to the Senate Aging Committee's Fraud Hotline at 1-855-303-9470.

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