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A rural Bellefontaine resident reported Tuesday to deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office that he received a scam phone call from a caller who claimed to be from the Social Security Administration.
The caller reportedly asked the individual’s Social Security number and stated there was a warrant for his arrest out of Texas. The victim said he then hung up the phone and contacted the sheriff’s office.
The resident was advised to watch his credit report and banking information closely since no money transactions had occurred.
Officials from the Federal Trade Commission offers the following tips for area residents when dealing with these kinds of scams involving government impostors:
• Don’t give the caller personal information. Never give out or confirm sensitive information — like bank account, credit card or Social Security numbers — unless it is known who the caller is talking with. If someone has contacted you, you can’t be sure who they are.
• Don’t trust a name or number. Con artists use officialsounding names to make you trust them. To make their call seem legitimate, scammers use Internet technology to spoof their area code — so although it may seem they are calling from Washington, D.C., they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
• Check with the Social Security Administration. The SSA has a warning about these scams and suggests you contact them directly at (800) 772-1213 to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller.