Another telephone scam is trying to weasel money from Alaskans. Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson says that people should avoid giving any information about their Social Security number to unsolicited callers on the phone. Alaskans are being targeted as part of a national scam, with callers pretending to be from the Social Security Administration.
The scammers try to get people to reveal their Social Security number, or to give the scammers money by claiming the person being called's Social Security number has been suspended because it has been involved in a crime; they ask the people answering the phone to confirm their number to reactivate it. They even say that the call recipient's bank account is going to be seized.
It is a sophisticated operation. The law department says that those being called can’t even trust the Caller ID on their phones during one of these calls, because the Caller ID says that the call is from the Social Security Administration. It's a lie. Scammers are able to put false information on Caller ID's.
If you get a call from someone making these claims and demanding personal information and money, the Alaska Deptartment of Law suggests that you report it to the Consumer Protection office at 907-269-5200. You can also call 1-800-772-1213 to speak to the real Social Security Administration, though a very long wait time is likely.