The Social Security Administration has designated March 7, 2024, as national “Slam the Scam” day to raise awareness of imposter scams. An imposter scam is when criminals claim to be representatives from well-known government agencies to deceive people into providing personal information or money. There are ways to protect yourself and prevent you from falling victim to these types of predators.
Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from scammers:
- Don’t answer your phone if you receive a call from a phone number you do not recognize.
- Don’t give out personal or pension related information when you receive a call, email, text message or direct message on social media by someone saying they work for a government agency. If you do receive a call, hang up and call the official number found on the agency’s website. If you get an email or text from a government agency, you know and do business with, contact them using a website you know is real. Look up their real email address or phone number — but don’t call the number they give you or the number from your caller ID.
- LAFPP staff will occasionally call our members and beneficiaries. If you receive a call and you are not sure it is LAFPP staff, get their name, hang up and call our toll-free number found on our website to continue the conversation.
- A government agency will not threaten or pressure you to take immediate action. Nor will a government agency ask you to pay with gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or by mailing cash.
- Don’t include any personally identifiable information (PII) in your email messages, such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, or addresses.
- Do periodically update your security software and passwords. This will protect your computer and cell phone from security threats, which could expose your personal or financial information to scammers.
- Exercise caution when you receive solicitations for financial services from unaffiliated third parties. LAFPP is not affiliated with, nor do we endorse any financial planning services for retirees.
For additional information on LAFPP’s ongoing commitment to keeping member data/information safe and secure please visit lafpp.com/cybersecurity.