A pair of well-traveled phone scams are now targeting county residents.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office reported last week that citizens have been receiving calls reportedly from the Social Security Administration and Publisher’s Clearing House, but both possess different techniques to scam the recipient.
Those who see what appear to be local numbers pop up on their phones are likely to answer a call from the “Social Security Administration,” while the calls from “Publisher’s Clearing House” are coming from an 876 area code. Technology being used by the scammers disallows the opportunity to trace the calls back to their points of origin.
Reports by those affected say the “Social Security Administration” are warning those who answer that their Social Security numbers have been linked to criminal activity and are suspended. You are then asked to confirm your Social Security number so it can be reactivated. Others say you are offered a new Social Security number for a fee. The method often used in the scam is a “robocall,” where an automated voice will provide you with a phone number that you can call back.
“This is no emergency, but a ploy to get money and personal data,” a statement from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office reads. “Social Security does not block or suspend numbers, ever. Except in rare circumstances, you will not get a call from Social Security unless you have already been in contact with the agency, and they will never call asking for you to verify your account number. Nor will they threaten you with being arrested.”
With the Publisher’s Clearing House scam, you receive a call saying that you have won an exorbitant amount of money and/or an item of high value, such as a new car). Those on the receiving end are then asked if they want the prizes delivered privately or on television. But to obtain your money, you have to first go obtain a gift card (reasoned as “price-processing fees”) and call back a provided number.
“Never give anyone any type of banking or personal information, nor agree to purchase gift cards to use as payment for processing fees, in order to collect a prize,” the sheriff’s office says. “When you get these calls, simply hang up.”