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GILLETTE LAW GROUP, PLLC
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INSIDE OUR
SPECIAL EDITION
COVID-19 and Social Security Disability Claims page 1
Reasons for Your Hearing’s Delay page 3 Our Response to COVID-19 page 4 The Changes to Trust Fund Savings page 5 Scammers Are a Different Kind of Evil page 6
Serving the People Both Inside and Outside the Office Getting Your Benefits Despite Closed Doors page 2
Telephone Hearings for Your Social Security Case
SCAMMERS WILL USE ANYTHING TO TAKE YOUR MONEY, EVEN A PANDEMIC BE AWARE:
Even amidst a pandemic, there are individuals who are trying to take advantage of people’s fear and uncertainty. Scammers will use any means and tell any lie to get you to give up your vital information. They do not care about wreaking havoc or ruining your life. Their only concern is their personal gain. According to the semiannual Report to Congress by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), “Over the last two years, widespread Social Security-related telephone scams have caused untold harm to unsuspecting American consumers, with a total reported fraud loss of over $50 million.” These scams impact individuals and also workers at the OIG and the Social Security Administration (SSA) who have to field calls from concerned Americans with complaints and questions about these fraudulent callers. Unfortunately, the number of scam calls has increased at quite an alarming rate during this unprecedented time. People often receive calls from someone claiming to be an SSA representative who says the person’s Social Security number (SSN) is about to be suspended, asks them to verify their SSN, or threatens
to discontinue any benefits they are receiving. The Federal Trade Commission states, “The SSA will never call to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards.” To help prevent Social Security scams, as well as to increase people’s awareness, OIG officials have invested significant resources into this effort, and they are partnering with the SSA, congressional committees, retail and nonprofit companies, and other agencies on this project. The OIG’s congressional report states that it is “seeing significant results from our scam-prevention and awareness efforts.” The OIG will continue to work toward reducing the number of scams, both by partnering with Social Security organizations and spreading awareness. To learn how you can better identify scam calls, visit Consumer.FTC.gov.
6 | GilletteLawGroup.com
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