Laramie County Sheriff's Office Issues Phone Scam Warning

The Laramie County Sheriff's Office is warning people about a common phone scam that seems to be making a comeback in the area.

The Social Security phone scam features a caller who tells potential victims that their Social Security number has either been suspended due to suspicious activity or has been used to commit a crime.

The caller may want you to confirm your Social Security number. What makes these types of calls unusually convincing is the fact that the con artists will often "spoof' the actual number of the Social Security Administration on caller ID.

The callers may tell victims that their bank accounts are about to be seized and demand that the victim put money on gift cards and give them the codes.

In a post on the agency's Facebook page, the sheriff's office offered the following advice:

''• Your Social Security number is not about to be suspended. You don’t have to verify your number to anyone who calls out of the blue. And your bank accounts are not about to be seized.

• SSA will never call to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards. Anyone who tells you to do those things is a scammer. Every time.

• The real SSA number is 1-800-772-1213, but scammers are putting that number in the caller ID. If you’re worried about what the caller says, hang up and call 1-800-772-1213 to speak to the real SSA. Even if the wait time is long, confirm with the real SSA before responding to one of these calls.

• Never give any part of your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers to anyone who initiates contact with you.

These crimes are usually unable to be investigated."