Can somebody please advise?

[BigDemVoter]

I just got a telephone call-- 100% certain it is FRAUD. . . I was informed in voicemail to call back at 210-926-7286 to the "Social Security Administration", and I was being "investigated for fraud."

I, of course, called back, as it made me VERY angry. . The asshole who answered the phone got an earful, and I asked him, "Since when does the Social Security Administration call US citizens and tell them they are about to be 'investigated' for fraud?"

The motherfucker hung up on me. . .

I know they are defrauding people. . . My question. . . . How does one report this and to whom?

[imanamerican63]

1. Call your state frauds commission or states AG?

[duforsure]

14. I agree , the State's AG will look into it.

[Timewas]

2. maybe

FCC

[Squinch]

3. It is infuriating, and it makes me unutterably sad to come home and find 10 messages

on my home machine from groups of people who are out to do nothing but screw people.

HOWEVER, I heard a horror story about these cranks, and want to pass it to you because it suggests we should not speak with these people. I don't know if its true or not, but...

Apparently there are some of these who are so sophisticated that they can record your voice and then use it to open accounts in your name and then steal you dry.

If anyone out there knows if this is false, let me know, but a cop told me this was happening. He said just hang up or erase the message.

One thing a DUer suggested and it about halved the number of these calls to my house phone: unplug the phone and leave it unplugged for three or four days.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. That DUer that told you to unplug the phone for 3-4 days is right...

We stopping answering the phone years ago for any random calls and now we literally only get 1-2 calls a week! Of course we don't give out the number but it is nice not have the phone ringing all of the time and clearing off those garbage messages selling this or selling that.

[Squinch]

7. I was surprised at how much difference a couple of days meant.

It IS nice not to have creeps calling at all hours.

[SWBTATTReg]

9. We love it. I only wished that we've done it earlier. Take care. NT

[BillyBobBrilliant]

4. I have experienced that before, and just had a similar call at work today...

I have a friend at the IRS. They told me that the IRS NEVER makes calls like that. They always send notices through the mail. If it is a critical notice it will be sent certified. I suggest you contact the DA's office and supply them with the call-back phone number the recording mentions, for fraud.

[Qutzupalotl]

6. Try this

https://www.whitepages.com/reverse-phone

Type in the phone number. Chances are the owner will be unknown. There is a link to report spam calls. Maybe just a drop in the bucket, but it’s something.

[Squinch]

8. That's a nice link! Thanks.

[getagrip_already]

10. what burns me is that they are spoofing caller id numbers.....

I get calls from my own exchange with the last 4 digits always changing. These are real numbers but not the ones making the calls.

I've even seen my OWN phone number calling me. It's pretty clear they are spoofing the caller ID.

Why is this not being stopped?

[genxlib]

15. I get those as well

It just makes it easier to decide not to answer them.

[MineralMan]

11. Yeah. My wife got the same call, from the same number.

The Social Security Administration does not call people. Ever. It sends letters. My wife simply hung up.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. Right. Social Security won't initiate calls. They do return calls ...

... if you don't want to wait on hold.

And, because they know everything, they'll call back while you're occupied in the bathroom.

[LuckyCharms]

12. This is one of my hot buttons.

Calls such as this send me into a murderous rage.

I NEVER answer my landline anymore, even if it appears that the number is legitimate, because it is usually a spoofed number. One of "their" favorite tricks is to spoof the number of my local hospital, where most of my physicians are located.

It is my firm belief that mankind always manages to take anything that is good or innocuous (landline telephone) and fuck it up for purposes based on pure greed.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

13. Never answer them...

If they leave a message I may listen to it mostly not.

Most don’t leave messages so that tells me the call was very important possibly life changing.
The line above is sarcasm. Didn’t want to use the emoji cuz that’s for the entire post.

[Leith]

17. I've been getting these calls

They leave messages with an artificial voice. Whoever wrote the script has terrible trouble with English prepositions.

The only time I was fooled by a spoofed number was a couple years ago. My family lives on the other side of the country and a call came from their area code. I thought it might be one of my nieces whose numbers I wouldn't recognize right away so I answered it in case it was an emergency.

The ones coming from my area code and exchange are laughable. I don't know anyone with my same exchange and they never leave a message.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

18. I've Found That If You Google The Phone Number.........

............most of the time, multiple people have already reported it. There are several websites out there where you can report scam phone calls, and these numbers will almost always show up on them. Often, a person will have provided a description of the message left, and it's usually the same verbatim as the one I got.

Here's the thing to remember: if any government entity is going to try to do ANYTHING to get money from you, they'll send a letter. They won't call, nor will they leave a message, because if they reveal any relevant information over the phone, that would be a FDCPA violation. Legitimate collection calls will only say something to the effect of, "Call us back regarding an account you have with this office." They can't run the risk of revealing information in a message that could be heard by someone other than the debtor.