Did I do the wrong thing?

[Botany]

I just got a robo call on my cell phone and the recording said they found fraudulent activity on my social security account and I had to punch 1 to be connected to "an agent" who would protect me but if I didn't call right back they would have to block all activities on my S.S. account
... which there are none .... I didn't stay on the line to talk to "an agent."

[Walleye]

1. You did the right thing. Social Security never calls on the phone

[2naSalit]

12. Not for something like that at least.

The time that SS called me it was a good thing, on a Saturday no less. They called to tell me I had been deemed disabled and what my monetary awards would be. I thought it was a prank until I realized I was talking to a local worker with whom I had spoken before. And it was legit!

Not never but also not when you aren't expecting them to call.

[OLDMDDEM]

2. You did the right thing

Social Security will not call you. They will notify you by letter. I receive these calls almost monthly. I have been told a warrant for my arrest has been issued that I am to take care of this issue. I hang up on them and immediately contact the Do Not Call hotline and report the phone number.

[Rorey]

3. I got that call a couple of weeks ago

Except in mine they said they were going to cancel my account!!!

I didn't stay on the line to talk to an agent either.

[beaglelover]

4. I got this spam call on my cellphone last week.

The phone number calling was the same as my cell phone number except for the last 4 digits, so I knew it was a spam call.

I'm not on SS.

I chose to speak to the caller.

When he came on the line and answered (in an Indian accent), I said This is the LAPD Fraud Detection unit, who am I speaking with?

He said 'suck my dick' but did not hang up.

So again, after a few moments, I repeated my greeting. He said nothing.

After about a minute I said, thank you, we've gotten what we need to trace this call. Have a great day!

[gratuitous]

5. Yes, you did

Order this right now from Lewis Black's website. I use this exclusively for those calls:



Choose from one of the five phrases Bobblehead Lewis says:

Go fuck yourself!
Nobody gives a shit!
Holy fuck!
Toughski shitski!
Are you fucking shittin' me?

On a related note, when did everyone decide that having a telephone is an open invitation for every dumbass scammer on the planet? Because I'd like to revisit that decision.

[hurple]

6. I get that call

An average of 6 to 7 times per day.

At this point it's not just spam, it's harrassment!

[Caliman73]

7. No. You did fine. It was a scam attempt.

As the other response said, Social Security, The IRS, Treasury, Courts, and other federal and state agencies NEVER contact you by phone. It is policy to send written communication only. You can call and speak to someone on the phone, but they will never call you directly. I work in protective services. We get that a lot. Just had a person send $2000 in gift cards to scammers posing as the DEA. Scams cause people billions of dollars a year.

[Brother Buzz]

8. You did the correst thing - NEVER press any buttons

If you hit the 'remove my number' option, it will be collected and sold to other scammers as a coveted 'will respond' number.

[AndyS]

9. The only time I answer those calls is when I'm bored and feel like messin' with somebody. nt

[bluestarone]

10. You did the RIGHT thing!

This world has so many scams going around! Seems like every other day i get mail that says my car warranty is running out. Is there no way to stop this bullshit?

[Brother Buzz]

11. There's no escaping these damn scammers these days

Link to tweet

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. I'm just surprised you haven't already been aware of this nonsense.

It's been reported here and elsewhere many, many, many times.