Calls from the “IRS,” “Social Security,” or the “Sheriff”
Real agencies write letters. They do not call to threaten arrest, suspend your Social Security number, or take payment by gift card.
The rule
The IRS, Social Security Administration, Medicare, and your county court begin serious matters by postal mail. They do not cold-call with threats, do not email demands, and never take payment in gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto — those payment methods are the scam's signature.
Common scripts
- "Your Social Security number has been suspended for suspicious activity." — Numbers are never suspended. Hang up.
- "There is a warrant; pay now or deputies are coming." — Courts do not take phone payments to cancel warrants.
- "Verify your Medicare number for the new card." — Free cards come automatically; that call harvests your number.
What to do
Hang up — mid-sentence is fine; being rude to a robot is not rude. If worried something is real, look up the agency's number yourself and call it directly. Report impostors at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, in Indiana, at 1-800-382-5516.
Not sure how exposed you are? Our free check shows which leaks your email is in — about one second, and you keep the answer. And if you are in the middle of something right now, a person answers at contact@protectindiana.org.