PIKE COUNTY – Pike county Sheriff claims of a phone scam that has been reported in the area.
Pike County Sheriff Charles S. Reader reports that scammers are targeting citizens in his county, pretending to be the Social Security Administration.
Sheriff Reader says the scammers are calling phone numbers, identifying themselves as federal employees and telling those who answer the phone that they owe money to the Social Security Administration and must pay it immediately.
“The scammers are demanding personal information, for what they claim is a ‘verification process’ in order to reveal the alleged amount of money the person allegedly owes,” the Sheriff said Tuesday.
“In order to incite urgency, scammers often threaten that you’ll be arrested if you don’t provide your full social security number, birthday, or pay the balance immediately.”
The federal government will never instruct you to give payment information over the phone. If you realize that you’re revealing personal information or reaching for your wallet or purse to read off your credit card number over the phone, that should be a red flag, Reader added.
If you receive a similar call as this, you are urged to record the phone number that called you and contact the Pike County Sheriff’s office at (740) 947-1111 and ask to speak to a deputy.
