People who are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and those who are applying for it want to do what they can to get their case decided. Unfortunately, scammers are preying on that desire by using it to get information out of innocent people. One scam that is going around involves people receiving phone calls that appear to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The issue that people might find confusing is that the caller ID might show the national service center phone number, which is 800-772-1213. The caller might state that the agency needs additional information to process your application or that there is something missing from your file. They might even claim that your benefits will be terminated unless you provide the requested information on that phone call.
Even if you have a Supplemental Security Income application pending or a case that is open, you shouldn’t ever give your information to someone who calls you. The exception to this is if you know your caseworker’s name, and the caller identifies themselves to you by that name. They should have your information, so they should be able to provide some of it themselves.
The alternative to having to do this would be contacting the agency yourself. This might be done by you calling a phone number you know is associated with it or by going to the local office. You also have the option of having your attorney deal with the issues so that you aren’t left trying to discern whether a caller is actually from the SSA or not. In fact, your lawyer could ensure that your interests are protected if they are handling these matters.
