The Government Isn't Calling You: How to Hang Up on IRS, SSA, and "Jury Duty" Impostors

Here is a rule you can take to the bank: the federal government communicates by mail. If your phone rings and the voice on the other end says it's the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or a U.S. Marshal with a warrant for missed jury duty — and money has to move today — you are talking to a criminal. Hang up. You owe that person nothing, including politeness.

Americans 50-plus are being targeted by these impostors on an industrial scale, and it's working. According to the Federal Trade Commission's latest Protecting Older Consumers report to Congress, adults 60 and older reported losing $375 million to government impersonation scams in 2024 — a 47 percent jump in a single year, making it one of the costliest fraud categories tracked. And FTC complaint data has shown the Social Security Administration to be the most-impersonated government agency in the country since 2019, when SSA impostors overtook the old IRS phone scam.

Let's be clear about who falls for this: everyone. Doctors, retired law enforcement officers, accountants — these criminals run scripted call centers, spoof real government phone numbers on caller ID, and increasingly use AI to polish their emails and clone official letterhead. Getting targeted is not a sign you slipped. It's a sign your phone number exists. The advantage you have is that every one of these scams, no matter how sophisticated, trips over the same five wires.

The Five Tells of a Fake Government Contact

1. They called, texted, or emailed you first. The IRS initiates contact about a tax problem by postal mail — not by phone, text, or email. Social Security sends letters. Federal courts summon jurors by mail from the clerk's office. An unexpected call claiming to be any of them is the scam announcing itself in the first five seconds.

2. There's a countdown clock. "Your Social Security number will be suspended in one hour." "A Marshal is en route to your home." "Pay the fine before 5 p.m. or the judge issues the warrant." Real agencies move at the speed of certified mail and give you weeks to respond, plus appeal rights. Manufactured urgency exists for one reason: to keep you on the phone and away from anyone who might say "that's a scam."

3. They demand a specific, untraceable payment. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, prepaid debit cards, or a courier picking up cash — the U.S. Marshals Service states flatly that it will never ask for credit or debit card numbers, wire transfers, or gift cards for any purpose. Neither will the IRS, SSA, Medicare, or any federal court. The moment anyone claiming a badge or a government title says the words "gift card," the call is over. Treasury does not shop at the grocery store rack.

4. They threaten arrest or "suspension" over the phone. No one is arrested by telephone in the United States. Your Social Security number cannot be "suspended" — that isn't a thing that exists. Federal judges do not deputize phone banks to collect fines. Threats are theater, scripted to make you act before you think.

5. They ask you to "verify" what they should already know. A caller fishing for your Social Security number, Medicare number, bank account, or date of birth is not confirming your identity — he's stealing it. Real agencies already have your file. They don't quiz you for it.

What Real Agencies Actually Do

• The IRS opens with a letter — usually several — before any other contact, and always tells you how to question or appeal what it says you owe. You can verify any notice by calling the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.
• Social Security does place routine calls, but generally only if you've requested one or have ongoing business with them — and never to threaten you, demand immediate payment, or promise a benefit increase for a fee. Unsure? Hang up and call SSA yourself at 800-772-1213.
• Federal courts handle jury duty entirely by mail. Miss a summons and the worst first step is another letter. Per the FTC's own consumer alert, calls, texts, and emails threatening arrest for missed jury duty should simply be ignored.

The SSA Office of the Inspector General leads the national "Slam the Scam" campaign — the seventh annual Slam the Scam Day was held this March — pushing exactly this message: hang up, don't engage, and report it. At the most recent observance, SSA noted the FTC logged more than 330,000 government-impersonation complaints in 2025, up 25 percent in a year. Awareness works, but only if we spread it — so mention this rule at dinner. You may save someone a life's savings.

And keep an eye on this space: AMAC's own Ask Rusty column regularly fields member letters about suspicious "Social Security" calls, and we'll be teaming up with Rusty for a deeper look at protecting your benefits from impostors.

Report It — In About One Minute

Being targeted is nothing to be ashamed of, and reporting is how these operations get traced and shut down. Even if you didn't lose a dime:

• SSA impostors: report online to the SSA Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report — one click, a short form, done.
• IRS impostors: report to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at tigta.gov.
• Any impostor scam: file with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; if it arrived by email or the internet, add a report to the FBI at ic3.gov.
• If money moved: call your bank or card issuer immediately, then your local police department.

The government isn't calling you. Now you know it — and so should everyone at your table.