The Social Security, Treasury Department, DEA, and Border Patrol scam begins with a call from a person claiming to be an agent with the US government or in the case of Canada the Canadian Revenue or Border Patrol. They get you to take down a case file number, their badge number and a warrant id number. They then start their story on why they are calling. It’s an elaborate story of abandoned cars with drugs and documents, houses with bank records, and fraud and money laundering all under your name and Social Security number. International transactions and dozens of bank accounts linked to your name that show that you are a criminal and are now being charged. When you plead your innocence they admit that they thought you were innocent, but had to be sure. With your cooperation, they can fix everything.
First they need to cancel your social security number so when someone uses it, it acts like a trap. In order to do this they would need to close out any assets that are linked to the number, bank accounts, investment portfolios anything with money. Being such a serious and sensitive matter you are not allowed to discuss or disclose any information with anyone on your case. If you wished to save your money in the accounts that were being closed ; you could take it out and place it in a ‘government security locker’ or some other ridiculous name for …Yes you guessed it! Gift Cards! Similar to other scams, gift card numbers are taken from the victim and emptied into the scammers account and laundered through various other methods such as crypto. They use disposable accounts and make new ones quite frequently to avoid being caught when reported. More frequently now, they are avoiding the Gift Card method and asking the person to withdraw all their liquid assets and either mail a certified check, cash or wire transfer all their funds to a safety locker. The following day a new SSA or SIN number will be issued to them once the funds are secure. When those funds dry up the scammers resort to asking for everything to be liquidated including the selling of homes and to have the funds secured with the government. These scams can last from a few days to sometimes months until all the person’s money is gone. Leaving them bankrupt financially and emotionally.
This scam is one of the most devastating scams ! Social Security , DEA, Treasury Department and Border Patrol will never call you! Most importantly the scammer does not have your actual information, until you give it to them, so when they ask to verify your last 4, or even your name, DO not give any information over the phone. You will never be under arrest! And as always, the best way to avoid being scammed is to just hang up.
If you have been the victim of a scam contact the authorities immediately, then visit our section on What to do after a scam.