The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, Gail S. Ennis, is designating Thursday, March 5, 2020 as National “Slam the Scam” Day, to raise public awareness of government imposter telephone scams across the United States.
These pervasive scams—in which callers pretend to be government employees to mislead victims into providing personal information or making payments—have become a scourge on the American public. The Federal Trade Commission recently reported victims lost nearly $153 million to government imposter scams in just fiscal year 2019. Social Security-related scams in particular have skyrocketed over the past year to become the #1 type of consumer fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration.