Scams are growing more and more sophisticated with each passing year. Avoiding scams can be difficult, due to both how common they are and how convincing they can appear to be. The elderly are perhaps the most common targets for Social Security and Medicare scams, although people of all ages can and do fall victim to scam artists. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that victims lost millions of dollars to social security scams in 2018 alone, and that number is only increasing. Keeping yourself, your family and your elderly or more vulnerable loved ones up to date and educated about current common scams is one of the best ways to stop these predatory criminals from victimizing more individuals. Read the governmental agency links on how best to avoid scams. Contact a lawyer knowledgeable about consumer protection laws for help if you or a loved one were the victim of a scam or identity theft.
What Are the Types of Social Security Scams?
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that no one from any government agency will ever call you and ask for your personal information such as your social security number. Anyone who does so is almost certainly a criminal attempting to steal your money, your identity or personal financial information. Some common scam techniques are as follows, which you can pass on to your family and friends as a caution:
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