Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued an alert this week — a new twist on a familiar scam that introduces an element of physical danger.
She pointed to a scam alert from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. That office said imposters are posing as agents, and demanding their targets meet them in person and hand over cash or gift cards.
The SSA OIG said in a statement, “This is the latest example of how scammers are constantly evolving their tactics to intimidate or pressure people into making hasty decisions that usually involve stealing their target’s hard-earned money,” said Inspector General Gail S. Ennis. “While our agents are out in the field, they will not ask you for money. I urge you not to respond to these kinds of requests.”
Nessel urged Michigan residents to be on alert for this new scam, saying consumers who suspect they've been the victim of this crime should report the scam to SSA OIG and file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The SSA OIG offered this additional advice if you've been scammed:
- Stop talking to the scammer.
- Notify financial institutions and safeguard accounts.
- Call the police and file a police report.
- Report Social Security-related scams to SSA
OIG (oig.ssa.gov). - Report other scams to the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov).
- Keep financial transaction information and the record of all communications with the scammer.
