Criminal Charges? Or Criminal Scam: The Trust Behind SSA Imposters
SOCIAL SECURITY SCAMS
Social Security scams are the most common form of government impersonation fraud in the U.S. According to the Office of the Inspector General, Americans lost over $577 million to these schemes last year alone.1 Fraudsters may contact victims by phone, email, text, letter, often posing as real government officials. They may spoof numbers or send authentic-looking documents to appear credible.
SUSPENDED SOCIAL SECURITY
We recently received a phishing email designed to appear to be sent by the Social Security Administration. This email was regarding our Social Security number being suspended. The email states that in order to reinstate the recipient’s social security number they must call the phone number provided immediately to verify their identity and to explain further details.
When calling the phone number provided in the email, an alleged employee of the Social Security administration named “Michael Rivera” with a Euro-Asian accent answers the call. Michael begins with asking the reason why the recipient is calling and asks for personal information such as name, address, last four digits of their social security number in order to look up their information.
Once Michael “finds” the recipient’s information, he states the reason the Social Security administration has contacted them is due to their social security number being tied to various crimes that occurred around the United States. Michael explains the social security number has been found being used in drug trafficking and money laundering in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and various other states.
In order to prove the recipient’s innocence and that their social security number was stolen, Michael must “verify” that the recipient is not associated with those criminal activities by asking if they know other people in the states where these crimes have occurred, have they shared their information with other people, and if they possess any assets in those states.
INNOCENT UNTIL CASE IS PAID
After Michael finishes “verifying” the information, he proceeds to state that in order to secure their social security number, a case must be filed with the Drug Enforcement Administration. To do so he gives his employee number to the recipient and transfers the call to the DEA office.
The call then transfers to the supposed DEA office via a Google phone number, and the recipient is connected to an agent at the DEA. An agent named “Carlos Briano” greets the caller and provides his badge number. He also speaks with a Euro-Asian accent.
Carlos asks the callers to verify their personal information by giving up their name, address, and last four digits of their social security number. The call then continues by Carlos asking for the caller to provide their number of bank and retirement accounts and the exact balance in each. Carlos then states that in order to file a case, the caller must pay a large fine. If the caller does not pay, their social security number will be suspended indefinitely and the federal government will pursue legal action against them.
TACTICS: CREATING AUTHORITY
The duration of these calls took approximately an hour. This extended duration was likely intended to heighten the victim’s frustration and fear, increasing the likelihood that they would disclose personal identifiable information (PII) in an attempt to resolve the issue quickly.
This was an organized scheme between multiple people and a detailed rehearsed storyline. The victim is first on the phone with the “Social Security Administration” where they insist that several crimes were registered with the victim’s information. The fraudster claims that an address in El Paso, Texas has an abandoned car registered to the victim. The victim is told that the Texas Law enforcement was leading this investigation and within the car they found over 20 lbs. of cocaine, $22,000 cash, credit cards, and banking documents. The investigation was then taken over by the U.S. Treasury Department where they concluded that the victim had several bank accounts opened used to send money to Mexico and Colombia.
The alleged “Social Security Administrator” tells the victim that they are on a recorded line and taking in their statement to provide it to the U.S. Treasury Department and the DEA’s investigation.
Before being transferred to the DEA office to file a case, the “SSA employee” provides their six-digit identification number. Once the victim is transferred to the “DEA agent” that responds, provides his full name and a six-digit badge number. These false identification numbers make the scammers’ scheme seem more credible and increase the chances of potential victims to provide them their PII.
The formats of the SSA’s employee IDs and DEA agent’s badge numbers are not publicly disclosed so it is impossible to verify the authenticity of the numbers.
RECCOMMENDATIONS
- Never share your SSN, bank details, or verification codes with anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.
- You can submit a report online at oig.ssa.gov or contact SSA’s OIG fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271.
Don’t forget
to Visit
Our Solutions
Read More1https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/mar/27/social-security-scams-are-on-the-rise-heres-what-t/
About the Author(s)
Lauren Torres is an E-Crime Intelligence Analyst II at Q6 Cyber. Her work at Q6 Cyber focuses primarily on research and analysis of financial fraud within the digital underground.
John Diaz-Marquez is a E-Crime Intelligence Analyst II at Q6 Cyber. His work at Q6 Cyber focuses primarily on research and analysis of financial fraud within the digital underground.