By Erin Smith
Several Bladen County residents are reporting receiving calls from someone posing as an employee of the Social Security Administration.
Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, announced the scammers will “spoof” the legitimate national customer service number of the Social Security Administration to get the victim to answer the telephone.
According to reports, the way the scam works is the 1-800 number for the Social Security Customer Service line will appear on the victim’s Caller ID screen. When the victim answers the call, the scammer will ask for personal information including their social security number.
The scammer claims to be a representative of the Social Security Administration. The fake representative will use about three different tactics to lure information away from their victims. The fake representative tells the victim they are trying to increase Social Security benefits, there is not enough information in their social security file, or they may threaten to cut off the victims benefits if information is not provided.
Other Bladen County residents are reporting receiving calls from a suspicious Florida telephone number also posing as an employee of the Social Security Administration. 
Stone said the Social Security Administration will not threaten anyone nor do they contact people by telephone for issues related to their benefits. If you suspect a telephone call is fraudulent, hang up and notify local law enforcement immediately.
You can also report report suspected fraud involving the Social Security Administration by calling 1-800-269-0271 or you can report it online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
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