It looks like criminals are attempting to target and de-fraud those with disabilities in Kentucky and West Virginia.
Specifically, those who may have been represented by local attorney Eric Conn, who has been convicted on federal charges for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) fraud, are being contacted by fraudsters.
According to Gale Stallworth Stone, the Social Security Administration’s Acting Inspector General, Kentucky residents who used Conn’s law firm to apply for SSDI benefits are receiving suspicious calls from people claiming to be SSA employees. The callers offer citizens $9,000 from something called the “Conn Client Compensation Fund”—but only after they send $200 to the “Federal Reserve Bank of New York.”
Stone said the SSA is not making these calls and the compensation fund does not exist.
“The scheme appears to target economically vulnerable citizens and use scare tactics to defraud them of their resources,” she said. “Citizens should be very careful and avoid engaging with these suspicious callers. If an unknown caller pressures you on the phone into providing payments for odd reasons, don’t think twice about hanging up.”
The Acting Inspector General urges citizens to call (800) 269-0271 to report any suspicious calls from someone alleging to be from the SSA. You can also call the SSA’s toll-free customer service number at (800) 772-1213 to verify a caller’s legitimacy.
Click here for an Allsup news release concerning Social Security fraud.
