A Puget Sound area man is out $9,500 after falling victim to a Social Security scam.
The man, who did not want to be identified, told KIRO 7 he received a voicemail from the “Social Security Administration” that warned of his imminent arrest if he didn’t clear a problem with his Social Security number.
The man said he called back because he had been a victim of identity theft in the past, and it all sounded legitimate so he was sucked in.
The man then went to five different retailers in the Puget Sound area and bought $500 cards, pictured above, spending as much as $3,000 at a time.
The scammers told him to withdraw all of the money in his savings account before the government “froze” it to issue him a new Social Security number, the man said.
The man said he was promised all of the money on the cards would be kept safe by the government, and they would transfer it to a new account under the “new” Social Security number.
The scammers said two “agents” would visit him Tuesday to open his new account, according to the man.
When they didn’t show up, the man said he went to police.
According to the man, the stores he purchased the gift cards from were not suspicious because he was told to say they were holiday gifts.
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