The scam is in the form of a letter that fraudulently uses the seal of the Social Security Administration and tries to scare consumers by claiming that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has discovered illegal activity under their Social Security Number, that the Social Security Number has been suspended, and that they are facing prosecution and significant jail time. Recipients of the letter are then instructed to call a toll-free number to provide their personal data.   

If you or anyone you know receives a letter or any other communication like this, please report the suspected fraud to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508 or by filing an online complaint here. 

To protect their privacy and combat scams, consumers who are asked for their personal information—such as their Social Security number—should ask themselves the following questions before deciding to share the information: Why does the entity need the information and what happens if I don’t share it? How will they protect my information and who they will share it with? Do they have a privacy policy? If a company doesn’t have a privacy policy or provides you one that you don’t understand, you should not share your information with it.