Local 4's Help Me Hank has a special report at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018 on how to spot the latest holiday scams.
We want to run a quick poll of our ClickOnDetroit readers to find out how many have been a victim of a consumer scam:
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Help Me Hank alert: Social Security scams
In October, Help Me Hank did a special report on Social Security scams. The inspector general has been warning that scammers are using Social Security numbers to frighten victims.
The scam we've been seeing lately is that your social security number has been deactivated," said Jennifer Walker, assistant inspector general for investigations. "The Social Security Administration does not deactivate accounts."
Some robocalls might leave a bogus phone number or a scam website designed to take personal information. Don't fall for it.
Never call suspicious numbers left on a voicemail. Always try to find a number you know is legitimate. Also, don't be fooled by caller ID. Scammers can "spoof" fake numbers and make it look like the government is calling.