OCEAN COUNTY – A new Social Security Scam has been traveling around the area and has been targeting senior citizens.
Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari, who serves as Chairman to Senior Services, announced that all senior citizens should be aware of this potential scam where someone is imposing as a Social Security Administration (SSA) Employee.
“With Ocean County being home to more than 173,000 seniors, it is important to make sure residents are aware of scams so that they can protect themselves,” said Vicari. “I encourage citizens to be cautious when providing information such as your Social Security number or bank information to unknown persons over the phone or the internet.”
There have been multiple reports of phone calls from someone portraying as an SSA employee. The caller will say that the victim’s cost of living has increased and will entice the victim to give personal information over the phone such as their name, date of birth, Social Security Number and parent’s names. With this information, the caller will contact the SSA and can request changes.
If you attain any type of skeptical call about someone claiming to be from the SSA, you should report it to the SSA, officials said.
“When handing out personal information, residents should make sure they are certain as to who is receiving the information,” Vicari said. “You must be very confident that the source is the correct business person and that your information is secure.”
For more information, residents can contact the Ocean County Office of Senior Services at 732-929-2091 or the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs at 732-929-2105.
