March 9 is National Slam the Scam Day

The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides tips to recognize Social Security-related scams and stop scammers from stealing your money and personal information. The SSA designates March 9 as National Slam the Scam Day to help recognize and spotlight the problems that occur year-round and shares the four basic signs of a scam:

• Scammers pretend to be from a familiar organization or agency, like the Social Security Administration. They may email attachments with official-looking logos, seals, signatures, or pictures of employee credentials.
• Scammers mention a problem or a prize. They may say your Social Security number was involved in a crime or ask for personal information to process a benefit increase.
• Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They may threaten you with arrest or legal action.
• Scammers tell you to pay using a gift card, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire or money transfer, or by mailing cash. They may also tell you to transfer your money to a “safe” account.

Ignore scammers and report criminal behavior. Report Social Security-related scams to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Find additional information at www.sca.gov/scam. The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel website provides tips on protecting from a variety of scams.