Social Security, Medicare scammers target Kansas residents: sheriff

BROWN COUNTY (KSNT) – A Kansas sheriff is warning locals to be on the lookout for scammers following recent reports of suspicious phone calls in the area.

Brown County Sheriff John Merchant said in an email that an “alarming number of county residents” are reporting that they are receiving phone calls from individuals making requests for social security information. Merchant said the scammers do not use robocalls and will threaten potential victims with discontinuation of social security benefits unless the information is given to the scammer.

Merchant went on to say that other locals have reported receiving calls from people claiming to represent Medicare who are also trying to get personal information from potential victims. Similar to the Social Security scammers, these will also threaten to discontinue Medicare benefits if questioned by those who pick up the phone.

Merchant said residents have reported seeing the caller ID from the scammers show up as “Social Security” from a variety of different cities in Kansas and others outside of the state.

“Also, Medicare, Social Security or other agencies will NEVER contact you by phone to obtain personal information,” Merchant said. “All who have reported this to me have not given out any personal information and have hung up on the scammers. Please continue to do so because  the longer the scammers have you on the phone, the higher chance they can obtain personal information from you.”

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office also maintains various resources to help those who are the victims of scams. You can find more information online by clicking here.