ShareThisBy DAVID LAZARUS
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
In an especially brazen attempt to defraud seniors, scammers are sending out bogus e-mails claiming to be from the Social Security Administration that are intended to dupe people into revealing their Social Security numbers.
"It's mind-boggling," said Loretta Chillemi, a spokeswoman for the Social Security Administration. "They're taking advantage of some of the most vulnerable people in our country,"
This type of scam is by no means new. It's called phishing and typically involves an official-looking e-mail that links to an official-looking (but phony) site that instructs you to reveal confidential info, like your Social Security number or credit card numbers.
Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart said in a statement that she's asked the agency's inspector general "to use all the resources at his command to find and prosecute whoever is perpetrating this fraud."
Good luck with that. Most phishers cover their electronic tracks well and remain on the loose.
What you need to know is that the subject line for the bogus e-mail reads "Cost-of-Living for 2007 update" and that the message ostensibly is informing 49 million Social Security recipients about next year's 3.3 percent increase in benefits.
The catch is a line that says the Social Security Administration needs to update your personal info and that if this isn't completed in short order, "we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely."
E-mail recipients are then directed to a Web site that looks like the official Social Security site, where they're told to register for a password by providing their Social Security number as well as bank account and credit card info.
"You should never provide your Social Security number or other personal information over the Internet or by telephone unless you are extremely confident of the source to whom you are providing the information," said Patrick O'Carroll, Social Security's inspector general.
And even then, it's seldom a good idea. Not these days.
