BBB Warning Against New Scam Targeting Senior Citizens

If you've gotten a call from someone claiming to be a social security worker asking for your bank information in the past few days, you should know that caller is a con artist. Ashley Rodrigue reports on a scam targeting senior citizens and how you can avoid becoming the next victim.

When Ruby Dupre says... "hello," she usually hears her daughter's voice and occasionally a friend. But beginning yesterday she's heard...

"This man, I understood him to say had something to do with Medicare and he had to get some information from me because he had to give me a new PIN number," she said.

The information he wanted was the name of her bank... her checking account number and the routing number on her personal checks.

"He just kept on and on that he needed that because he needed to give me my PIN number and all that and I told him, I said, look I'm not going to talk to you anymore and I hung up," said Dupre, "I thought it was over with until he called back again today."

With a different story and a fake phone number.

"He says, I know that your check is deposited, your social security check is deposited into you account and I said no I'm sorry I'm not giving it to you," said Dupre.

And that's exactly what the better business bureau says 'you' should do too.

"Go ahead and let them know you're going to check on them," said Jay Shepphard with the Better Business Bureau, "Let them know that you need more information from them, let them know you're going to call the better business bureau, most of the time they hang up on you."

And the BBB says the federal government will never ask for your social security number... they already know it.

"I knew better than to give him numbers like that over the phone," said Dupre, "Some people may not know that, you know, and I was just hoping that I could help someone else."

If you think you've been scammed or someone is 'trying' to scam you.. report the caller to the Better Business Bureau by calling 835-5348, or the Social Security Administration locally at 924-6413, or at 1-800-772-1213.

To find out more about scams against senior citizens, you can visit the Better Business Bureau website at www.bbbsetexas.org.