Social Security phone scam: is that call real?
Editorially reviewed · Last updated September 8, 2026
Yes — this is a scam. Social Security never calls to say your number is “suspended.”
Exhibit · Phone call
“This is the Social Security Administration. Your Social Security number has been suspended due to suspicious activity linked to your name. To speak with an officer and avoid a warrant for your arrest, press 1 now.”
Other versions you might get: “Press 1” robocalls about Medicare, the IRS, or “your benefits,” sometimes with a live person who pressures you to buy gift cards or move money to a “safe account.”
What to do right now
- Hang up. Don't press 1, don't call back, don't give any information.
- Don't pay anything — no gift cards, wires, or crypto, ever, to a caller.
- Report it. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov and oig.ssa.gov/report.
- Block the number (scammers spoof and rotate, so it may not stop all of them).
Reduce the risk of another scam
Hang up and verify the claim through a number you find independently. If you paid or shared account details, start with what to do after a scam. Blocking and reporting can reduce unwanted contact, but they cannot stop every attempt or tell you how the sender found you.
● Public service · free steps first
Reduce unwanted calls
Start with call blocking and your phone or carrier's filtering options. The Do Not Call Registry covers sales calls from companies that follow the rules; it does not block scammers.
- Add your number to the Do Not Call RegistryFree registration tells telemarketers not to call, with exceptions. It does not stop illegal scam calls or prevent the sale of your number.
- Report the call to the FTCHelps regulators go after the operations behind the robocalls.
Decide what protection you need
Start with the free controls above. Compare what a paid service would add only after deciding which problem remains.
No purchase needed. How we use evidence.
Frequently asked
Can my Social Security number actually be suspended?
The caller ID says Social Security Administration — doesn't that prove it's real?
They're threatening me with arrest if I don't press 1 — what should I do?
How does the real Social Security Administration contact people?
Sources
- 01Phone scams— Federal Trade Commission
- 02Report Social Security fraud— SSA Office of the Inspector General
- 03Report fraud to the FTC— Federal Trade Commission
- 04Does Social Security contact people by phone?— ssa.gov
- 05Official security and fraud guidance— secure.ssa.gov
Pass it on
Help protect someone else
If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.