The Marshall Police Department is warning area residents of scam using false numbers.
The department has received information that an unknown caller is using a spoofed number representing the police department to obtain social security money from Marshall citizens. There are two types of scams being reported.
1. Your Social Security number and benefits will be suspended unless you act right away: With this Social Security scam, an imposter pretending to be from SSA (or even the police) says your Social Security number (SSN) has been frozen due to alleged criminal activity. They may ask you to verify your SSN to resolve the problem. They might also, to “reinstate” your SSN and benefits, request payment in the form of gift cards or a money transfer (via a digital payment platform like Zelle, CashApp, or Venmo). The scammer may even threaten arrest if you don’t comply.
2. You’ve been paid too much in Social Security benefits, and you must pay it back, or you owe a fee: In this case, a scammer contacts you by phone, email, and/or text message. They explain there is a problem with your Social Security account, and you must pay to continue receiving benefits. This payment may be intended to correct an alleged overpayment of benefits, or it may be to satisfy some kind of penalty, fine, or administrative fee.
The department informs all residents the Social Security Administration will never threaten you with arrest, legal action, benefits suspension, or bank account seizure if you don’t comply with a request. They will also won’t suspend your Social Security number, offer to shift your Social Security money to a “safer” account, demand you make a payment immediately, ask you for specific payment methods-such as prepaid debit cards, gift cards, online payments, mailed cash, or cryptocurrency, ask for personal details or banking information in exchange for giving you a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) Contact you via social media platforms (e.g., Facebook), or request that you return a call to an unknown number.
If you have been scammed and would like to make a report to Social Security. You can submit a report online at oig.ssa.gov or contact the OIG’s fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271.