March 5 is National “Slam the Scam” Day

In association with the Federal Trade Commission’s National Consumer Protection Week (March 1 to 7), the Social Security Administration (SSA) has designated March 5 as National “Slam the Scam” Day to educate Americans about telephone scammers impersonating government employees. As many water and wastewater utility personnel have experienced, scammers aim to gain potential victims’ trust and steal their money and personally identifiable information. To warn Americans about this widespread activity and help prevent them from becoming victims, the SSA has created a website describing what scams look like and providing tips to protect yourself and your organization. The website includes numerous downloadable fact sheets, a scam awareness video, a repository of recent fraud advisories, and examples of fraudulent letters with which scammers sought to impersonate government employees. For the SSA’s “Slam the Scam” Day, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has created its own website with a list of tips and links to resources. Access the website at the SSA.