Published: August 20, 2007 10:59 pm            

Agency warns about phone scam seeking bank account numbers

The Better Business Bureau of Central and Eastern Kentucky is warning about suspicious phone calls from those claiming to be with the Social Security Administration and offering money if consumers provide bank account numbers.

In two instances, the consumers were told they could have $300 a month deposited into their bank accounts.

One woman was told by a caller saying he was with Social Security the federal government had selected a certain number to receive help with medical bills.

He told her she had been chosen to have money deposited into her account. She is not currently on Social Security.

She had difficulty understanding the caller who spoke with a thick accent but believed the call sounded suspicious, told the caller she was not interested and hung up.

Another woman received a call from someone saying that Social Security had “checked out” her history and found she had a “clean background,” and therefore was being offered $300 a month to be deposited into her bank account for six months.

She was also told she would receive a $100 gasoline card.

That woman did give her account number but contacted the BBB immediately thereafter and was advised to notify her bank about the incident.

She was able to close her bank account before unauthorized withdrawals could take place.

A Lexington man told the BBB he received a call on his cell phone telling him he was among 25,000 chosen to win $5,000 and free Medicare insurance for a year because he had never been in jail. The caller then asked for his bank routing number.

The man argued that if they were with Social Security, they should have his information, and the caller hung up.

Central Kentucky Social Security Administration officials say their office would not make unsolicited phone calls to residents offering money under these circumstances, nor are they offering any gas cards or cash prizes.

The only reason Social Security personnel would request bank account information would be if an individual initiated contact with that office to make arrangements on a claim or to have regular Social Security payments direct-deposited into a bank account.

The BBB regularly warns residents not to give personal or financial information over the phone to unsolicited callers, no matter how official or tempting the call sounds. Officials say callers should be asked their names and agency names. That information can be confirmed by calling numbers listed in the government pages of the telephone directory.

For more information or to report potential problems, call (859) 259-1008 or (800) 866-6668 or visit www.ky.bbb.org.

        

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