Fraudulent activity is one of the most common techniques used by swindlers to steal the identity or personal details of a bank account holder or information related to the US Social Security system. For this reason, the authorities are working together to prevent this type of situation, although they warn that if a person suspects that they have been the victim of fraudulent activity, they should report it to the institutions so that they can take charge of the investigation.
In fact, the US Social Security Administration (SSA) itself states that the Fraud Hotline of the Office of the Inspector General of Social Security is highly specialized in dealing with allegations of fraud, waste and abuse. These types of scenarios are not easy to manage, although people who consider themselves victims of a scam should file a report with the relevant agencies so that they can act as quickly as possible and prevent the criminals from taking any further action.
Consumer protection in the United States
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the national consumer protection agency of the United States, works on consumer rights, how to avoid scams, and cybersecurity for your small business. The FTC is the nation’s consumer protection agency. Its mission is to protect people from deceptive and fraudulent practices and to promote competition.
Therefore, this organization affirms that the community should be protected by reporting fraud, scams and bad business practices, thus highlighting the importance of acting quickly and alerting the specialized services in this matter. In addition, reporting fraud is a simple process that can be done by fax, phone call or online form. Or also by sending an email. In all these cases, the complainant must provide evidence and documents proving that it is true and that there is a real danger that their personal and sensitive data has been revealed.
Advice for consumers
The FTC, for its part, works together with other institutions on campaigns to inform the public of the importance of knowing how to identify fraud. They also point out that this type of situation occurs when there has been a catastrophic natural event, such as the DANA storm that affected the Community of Valencia in Spain or the fire in Los Angeles in the United States. It is precisely in these scenarios that scammers send messages with warning signs, with the idea that the recipient will not think too hard and will not be able to conclude that it is a scam.
No one is safe from being scammed, as criminals do not discriminate based on age: from video games for young children to credit card tricks to steal the identity of the cardholder and gain access to their bank accounts. Therefore, in any case, it is advisable to follow the instructions of the institutions and report this type of fraud immediately.