'800-772-1213' Scam

The con artists often attempt to impersonate legitimate services and institutions to make it more likely that their target will opt to comply with their demands. Such is the case with the '800-772-1213' scam, a fraudulent scheme that has been active since 2017 and has been targeting users in the United States exclusively. What is unique about this tactic is that the criminals behind it have managed to spoof their caller IDs successfully, therefore allowing them to hide behind the number 800-772-1213. This is the real number of the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), but it is important to remember that it is never used to initiate calls – instead, it is only meant to receive calls from citizens.

The Criminals can Impersonate SSA's Real Number

Unfortunately, the simple spoofing trick has enabled the people behind the '800-772-1213' scam to collect information from numerous users. It is not clear how they acquire the phone numbers of their targets so that we advise you to stay vigilant for suspicious calls that claim to come from the Social Security Administration or similar high-level government institutions.

The tactic works by telling the victim that their Social Security Number (SSN) has been suspended due to suspected criminal activity. You can imagine that this can be a stressful thing to hear, and many people will attempt to resolve the nuisance as quickly as possible without thinking of the consequences. This is the primary fear-mongering strategy used by the con artists behind the '800-772-1213' Scam, and they use it to demand a broad range of things from their victims. They may ask the victim:

• To provide them with their Social Security Number for 'verification purposes.' This may lead to identity theft.
• To provide them with their credit card number, expiration date, and CCV for 'verification purposes.'
• To pay a fee to have the problem fixed. Often, the fraudsters ask for the payment to be completed by providing Amazon Gift Cards, iTunes Gift Cards, or another gift card. This is a tactic used by con artists commonly since it makes it impossible to trace the money.

Do not Supply Any Information Over the Phone; the SSA will not Ask You to Do This

If you, at any time, receive a call from someone who claims to be from the Social Security Administration, we advise you to hang up immediately. If you suspect that the inquiry may be legitimate, we advise you to call the real SSA phone number (800-772-1213) immediately, and ask for more information. Remember that you should not trust incoming calls even if they appear to come from legitimate numbers – con artists can falsify this detail easily.