Recognize the four basic signs of a scam.
- Scammers pretend to be from a familiar organization or agency like the Social Security Administration. They may email attachments with official-looking logos, seals, signatures or employee credentials.
- Scammers mention a problem or a prize. They may say your Social Security number was involved in a crime or ask for personal information to process a benefit increase.
- Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They may threaten you with arrest of legal action.
- Scammers tell you that you can pay to avoid the penalty, or solve the issue, using a gift card, cryptocurrency, wire or money transfer, or by mailing cash. They may also tell you to transfer your money to a “safe” account.
- Neither Brewery Credit Union nor the Social Security Administration would ever call you to ask for money or your personal information. If someone does, you can safely assume they are a scammer trying to trick you into giving them money.
You should always hang up on scammers and consider reporting fraudulent or criminal behavior. If in doubt on a call, hang up and call the Social Security office direct from a number you know is legitimate.
You can report Social Security-related scams to the SSA’s web site at www.ssa.gov/scam.
As always, if you have any questions about scams or think you may have been a victim of a scammer, please call or stop by one of the Brewery Credit Union branches.
