# Oh Nooooo! My Social Security Is Being Suspended



## OneEyedDiva (Jan 20, 2020)

NOT!! But I just started getting those spam calls about two weeks ago telling me my SS would be suspended due to suspicious activity or some such nonsense. For almost a week, they were coming in every day. They are from a 205 area code (Alabama) but not the same number every time.  I answered the first call because I have a cousin who lives in Alabama and she changes her phone number a lot. The AI says push 1  I pushed end call instead and just ignored the rest of the calls.  Have you ever gotten these calls?


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## mathjak107 (Jan 20, 2020)

texts all the time


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## OneEyedDiva (Jan 20, 2020)

mathjak107 said:


> texts all the time


I've never gotten the texts MJ.


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## terry123 (Jan 20, 2020)

I get them. Also I am going to jail for various reasons. Not many now as I read that if you just don't say anything and just hang up it stops some of them.  Now I don't answer if I don't recognize the #.  That can be a problem if you are expecting a call from a new doc or someone else.  I ask what # to expect a return call now.


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## Marlene (Jan 20, 2020)

I never answer any phone calls where the number is not in my address book.  If it is important, they will leave a message and I will call back.  But, yes, they leave "urgent messages" on a regular basis and send texts.  Delete, delete, delete.  However, the frequency of the calls and texts have slowed way down since I never answer.


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## saintdave (Jan 20, 2020)

The Nigerian "Government" emails me and I should be a millionaire many times over now. I just don't seem to have the energy to email them my personal details. Pity, eh!!!


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## OneEyedDiva (Jan 20, 2020)

terry123 said:


> I get them. Also I am going to jail for various reasons. Not many now as I read that if you just don't say anything and just hang up it stops some of them.  Now I don't answer if I don't recognize the #.  That can be a problem if you are expecting a call from a new doc or someone else.  I ask what # to expect a return call now.


You're right about when expecting a call from a number you may not be familiar with. But I figure if it's important, the person will leave a message. I saw a funny (true) video about a sheriff who got a call, which she put on speaker, saying she'd be arrested if she didn't (whatever scam it was).  She just let them talk for awhile and whatever she said made them hang up quick. If I remember correctly I don't think she let them know they were speaking to law enforcement though....that would have really been funny.


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## squatting dog (Jan 20, 2020)

saintdave said:


> The Nigerian "Government" emails me and I should be a millionaire many times over now. I just don't seem to have the energy to email them my personal details. Pity, eh!!!



You missed the other post about the Nigerian.


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## retiredtraveler (Jan 20, 2020)

terry123 said:


> I get them. Also I am going to jail for various reasons. Not many now as I read that if you just don't say anything and just hang up it stops some of them.


Yes. I've been going to jail for at least 10 years now if I didn't respond to such-and-such a call.


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## RadishRose (Jan 20, 2020)

Just to be on the safe side......


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## gennie (Jan 20, 2020)

No calls but I just got an email that guaranteed me that their product could help me lose 96 lbs. before Valentine Day.  I did not respond because I don't need a buzz saw.  The only way I could lose 96 lbs. by V.D. would be to cut off a leg and I need both of mine.


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## Don M. (Jan 20, 2020)

The nuisance calls we've been receiving seem to be mostly dedicated to reducing our credit card debt.  I guess whoever supplies data to those hackers doesn't know that we haven't paid a nickel in interest in over 30 years, and our credit score hovers between 800 and 810.  Once in awhile, I like to answer one of these robocalls, and play along with them for several minutes, eating up their time.  They all seem to share a common trait....speaking English as if they are from somewhere in SE Asia.


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## fmdog44 (Jan 20, 2020)

I like it when they get to the part where the cops are on their way to arrest me. I have had two calls and listened to others and they are always are the same word for word.


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## Catlady (Jan 20, 2020)

Just this morning I got an email that my internet provider had 18 messages that could not go through and to click the button.  I deleted it and have been getting messages anyway.  The email looked SO legit!


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## Pecos (Jan 20, 2020)

There should be a very special place in hell for these people.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jan 21, 2020)

Catlady said:


> Just this morning I got an email that my internet provider had 18 messages that could not go through and to click the button.  I deleted it and have been getting messages anyway.  The email looked SO legit!


Yes Catlady. Spammers and scammers are getting more sophisticated. Such that I never click a link that (may legitimately) be from my bank, brokerages or credit card companies  I go directly to the sites to look for whatever the email is notifying me about.


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## Fyrefox (Jan 21, 2020)

Scam and phishing schemes via phone can mimic your area code so you think it's legitimate or someone you might know.  They also try to scare people and instill a sense of need to take immediate action; I've gotten messages from the "U.S. Government" and the "Tresury Dept."  When they throw out innumerable lures, they only need to successfully con a few people to drain their bank accounts and get themselves a big payday.  The real government and law enforcement need to somehow locate and shut down these criminals permanently...


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## mathjak107 (Jan 21, 2020)

we got a scam e-mail that looked identical to the chase website ... they wanted a password update . it was brilliantly done . the tip off though was the website was not chase.com but echase.com


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## StarSong (Jan 21, 2020)

mathjak107 said:


> we got a scam e-mail that looked identical to the chase website ... they wanted a password update . it was brilliantly done . the tip off though was the website was not chase.com but echase.com


I'm careful to not click on email links, even when they look legit.  I have a second layer of protection though.  Even if_ I_ got fooled by a phisher, _my locked password manager_ wouldn't.  It recognizes sites and prompts me to log in, at which point the PW manager supplies individual site passwords.     

I only log into my PW manager when necessary and log out when done with banking, etc.  In any event, it logs out automatically after an hour or when the browser is closed.    



Marlene said:


> I never answer any phone calls where the number is not in my address book.  If it is important, they will leave a message and I will call back.  But, yes, they leave "urgent messages" on a regular basis and send texts.  Delete, delete, delete.  However, the frequency of the calls and texts have slowed way down since I never answer.


Ditto.  And I'm very stingy about giving out my mobile number.  The ringer on my landline is turned off.


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## Happyflowerlady (Jan 26, 2020)

I was getting those kinds of phone calls just about every day, too, mostly trying to sell me a different insurance plan, or a new car windshield (neither of which I am in need of). 
After upgrading my iPhone to iOS 13, they now have a spam-call protection option, and it sends any unknown calls straight to voicemail. Most of the time, this works great for me, because I seldom get unexpected calls, and all I have to do is add the number to my contacts if it does turn out to be something that I don’t want to miss a call from (like my doctor office). 
If the caller leaves a voicemail, then I can listen and call them back (and add the number to contacts when needed), and if they are just a spam caller, they seldom leave a voicemail anyway.


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## Duster (Jan 27, 2020)

They ALMOST fooled me the other night.  It was an email to my husband from a financial institution that we use, saying that a phone number had been added recently.  It was in the evening and my brain was a little fuzzy.  I had added a phone number a few weeks ago to MY account.  Since I never click through links, I logged into the account. Of course there was NO activity. They are getting better at copying legit emails from these places.


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## Catlady (Jan 27, 2020)

Duster said:


> They ALMOST fooled me the other night.  It was an email to my husband from a financial institution that we use, saying that a phone number had been added recently.  It was in the evening and my brain was a little fuzzy.  I had added a phone number a few weeks ago to MY account. * Since I never click through links, I logged into the account.* Of course there was NO activity. They are getting better at copying legit emails from these places.


Good call!  I always do that, no matter how legit the email looks.  Every time, there was NO problem with my account when I logged on the usual way.


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## TravelinMan (Jan 27, 2020)

Marlene said:


> I never answer any phone calls where the number is not in my address book.  If it is important, they will leave a message and I will call back.  But, yes, they leave "urgent messages" on a regular basis and send texts.  Delete, delete, delete.  However, the frequency of the calls and texts have slowed way down since I never answer.



_Ditto...

..._


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## peppermint (Jan 27, 2020)

I don't answer any phone call I don't know....Even on my Cell phone...
Probably will get rid of our home phone....Don't need it!!!!!


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## Knight (Jan 28, 2020)

We got a call yesterday from a scammer that forgot his opening line. He said he was our oldest son not one of our grandchildren. 

I played along recognizing him as Alfonso. He had the same sad story he was in jail because of a traffic accident. I asked him if he was at a wedding recption and had a few drinks. He was and the alcohol was the reason for being jailed. I asked where he was jailed & if he had a lawyer. He did but didn't have the money for bail or to pay the lawyers fee. I asked the lawyers name & where I could send the money to bail him out. He had that ready.

He sounded really happy that we were going to take care of his legal expenses. Or at least until I told him this was his 5th. time & we weren't going to help him again so he would learn his lesson.


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## Jim W. (Jan 29, 2020)

I enjoy playing along with those cretins and wasting as much of their time as I can. Give them false information, etc, etc.

The last guy asked for my SSN so I told him.... 012-34-5678-9  

He hung up on me!!!!


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## OneEyedDiva (Jan 29, 2020)

Knight said:


> We got a call yesterday from a scammer that forgot his opening line. He said he was our oldest son not one of our grandchildren.
> 
> I played along recognizing him as Alfonso. He had the same sad story he was in jail because of a traffic accident. I asked him if he was at a wedding recption and had a few drinks. He was and the alcohol was the reason for being jailed. I asked where he was jailed & if he had a lawyer. He did but didn't have the money for bail or to pay the lawyers fee. I asked the lawyers name & where I could send the money to bail him out. He had that ready.
> 
> He sounded really happy that we were going to take care of his legal expenses. Or at least until I told him this was his 5th. time & we weren't going to help him again so he would learn his lesson.


Shame on you Knight....scamming the scammers!  I LOVE it!


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## debodun (Feb 2, 2020)

I don't answer my phone if the caller ID is not a number I recognize. Most of the time there's no message, so I suspect spam or robo call. Social Security would not notify you like this by phone (that goes for banks, too).


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## kim7346 (Mar 8, 2020)

[QUO


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