Duluth Police Department Warns Of New Social Security Scam

Another day, another scam.

The Duluth Police Department shared a post on their Facebook page early Wednesday morning, warning against yet another scam making its way around the country.

This time around, scammers are trying to prey on your social security number. Here's how it works: a caller pretends to be a government worker and claims your social security number has been suspended. They then tell the victim that they need to call a specific number to clear up the misunderstanding. When the victim calls the number, they will be asked for their personal information.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, these type of scammers tell their victims that they need to reactivate their social security numbers because of "some connection to fraud or other criminal activity."

The scam is easy to fall for for a few reasons. The first reason: scammers sound professional so it's easy to actually mistake them for a government employee. The second reason this scam is scary is it appears the person is trying to save you from scams but instead, they are luring you into one.

The FTC offers a few tips on how you can protect yourself from this scam. Here's what they suggest:

• As always, do not give out any personal information over the phone under any circumstance.
• Do not trust someone just because they sound official or appear to have official credentials.
• If you have any questions about anything regarding your social security number, contact the appropriate government agencies directly.

With tax season here, it is more important than ever to be aware of these types of scams so you don't fall for one.