“Your Social Security Number will never be suspended,” General Hood warned. “These scam artists are good at what they do in making you think they’re a professional trying to help you or protect you from a scam, but really they’re just trying to steal your personal information. The only thing you should do is hang up immediately.”

The caller says they are from the government and that your social security number has been suspended. He sounds very professional and says a reactivation is needed for the suspended SSN, claiming the number was suspended because of some connection to fraud or other criminal activity. The caller says you must call a separate number to clear up the problem, which is where you will be asked for personal information.