NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There has been a recent increase in phone calls that mimic the FBI Nashville Resident Agency. According to the agency, this is due to a new Social Security scam that is circulating.
The callers will often “spoof,” or fake, the agency’s phone number, 615-232-7500, so the call appears to be coming from the FBI on the recipient’s caller ID, the FBI said.
The fraudulent callers tell the victims that their Social Security number has been suspended and there is a warrant for their arrest. The scammers continue by telling the victims to purchase gift cards, put money on the cards and call the scammer back and provide the gift card numbers, or they will be arrested. The scammer will then hang up, without providing any additional information on the victim's Social Security number.
Real law enforcement officers do not demand cash or gift cards from the public. The FBI defines this type of scam as impersonation fraud: criminals impersonating government officials in an attempt to collect money. Scammers often target young people and the elderly, becoming more technologically savvy to target them.
To protect yourself from falling victim to this scam, be cautious of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. Do not send money or gift cards to anybody that you do not personally know and trust. Never give out your personal information that includes banking information, Social Security number, or other personally identifiable information, over the phone or to individuals you do not know.
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 13,873 people reported being victims of government impersonation scams in 2019, with losses totaling more than $124 million.
If you feel that you have been a victim of this scam or any other online scams, the FBI says you should report the incident at www.ic3.gov. More information about government impersonation schemes and other online fraud schemes can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes.
