Recently, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office has taken numerous complaints regarding
telephone calls or visits from people alleging to be Social Security employees.
In each case, the person has attempted to obtain personal information, such as a Social Security or a bank account number from the Social Security recipient.
The perpetrators, who identify themselves as Social Security employees, have used a variety of tactics to obtain personal information, according to the Sheriff’s Office alert.
In one instance, the caller told an elderly victim that the person needed to verify their Social Security number if they wanted to continue to receive Social Security benefits.
In another case, the caller advised the elderly victim that they had committed Medicaid fraud and needed their Social Security number for the investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office recommends people always take precautions when giving out personal information.
“You should never provide your Social Security number or other sensitive information over the
phone unless you are the one that has initiated the contact and are confident you are speaking
with a legitimate professional,” the alert states.
Anyone who receives a suspicious phone call or visit from someone requesting their Social Security number is asked to call 911 to report the incident.
