---
title: "FTC reports a sharp increase in phone scams from criminals impersonating IRS, Social Security"
metaTitle: "FTC Rise in IRS Ss Scam Calls"
slug: ftc-rise-in-irs-ss-scam-calls
date: "2019-07-01T15:30:18-05:00"
image:
  src: "https://cdn.securelogix.dev/slx/images/undefined.webp"
sourcePublisher:
  name: CNN
  url: cnn.it
sourceArticle:
  url: "https://cnn.it/2XKdsOh"
legacySlug: ftc-reports-a-sharp-increase-in-phone-scams-from-criminals-impersonating-irs-social-security
tags: [FTC, IRS, Phone Scam, Robocalls, Social Security]
status: published
---

Julianne Stafford, a special education teacher in Massachusetts, recently got a terrifying phone call: someone claiming to be a Social Security official said a number of bank accounts opened in her name in El Paso, Texas, had been linked to drug trafficking — and that Boston police had a warrant for her arrest.

The only way to clear her name, the caller said, was to pay -- by buying two $500 Google Play gift cards and giving the activation codes over the phone...