Today I received an email saying that my Social Security number was going to be suspended.

Scam.

Ironically, it was “signed” by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. I wonder if he was chosen for the scam because he’s a Tea Party conservative from Texas who people may think would come after them in other states.

I checked for other documents with Paxton’s signature. It was an exact copy.

Social Security recipients may be seeing a big increase in this old government imposter scam because in their benefits are going up this month.

Don’t take the bait. Your Social Security number is never suspended for any reason. The object of the scam is to get money from the victim, as well as their personal information.

The Office of the Inspector General offers these tips for avoiding government impostor scams:

• Pause and take a breath. Scammers seek to cause a strong emotional response. Stop and think. Better yet, hang up or ignore the message.
• Don’t transfer money. Someone demanding immediate payment of a fee or debt by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer is a sure mark of a scam.
• Be skeptical. Scammers adopt trappings of officialdom, such as real-sounding titles and bogus ID numbers, to persuade you they’re legitimate. If they transfer you to another “government official” to confirm their story, it’s almost surely an accomplice.
• Don’t provide personal or financial data such as Social Security or bank account numbers, even the caller has some of your information already.
• Block unwanted calls and text messages.
• Don’t click on links or attachments in texts or email from unfamiliar senders.

Here’s what my email message said:

SSA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Hello,

Your SSN id will be terminated within 48 hours due to unusual activity.

Have a  look at the  details attached below!..

Note apologize is misspelled.

So, be cautious of any phone call, email, text, or letter that warns you about a suspended Social Security number. It’s a scam. Hang up, delete and block the email or text, or throw away the letter.