The Seaside Police Department and other Clatsop County Law Enforcement agencies continue to receive a number of reports regarding several different familiar phone and email scams.

The most active scam right now is the Social Security scam and citizens can lose thousands of dollars to these con artists.

In the Social Security scheme, the caller claims to be with the Social Security Administration and often provides a name and badge number. The caller claims that the victim’s social security number has been compromised and connected with some criminal activity.

The caller may also claim the victim’s bank account is in danger, and that the victim must quickly go to a bank, take out money and put it into gift cards.

The call usually begins as a recorded phone call that states your social security number has been suspended and you will lose all of your benefits.

The recording prompts the receiver of the call to press a number on the telephone to be connected to a live person. If you do not respond, they threaten that your Social Security number will be permanently blocked, or your bank accounts will be seized.

Another scam used an email that was designed to look like it came from Social Security. It provided information about the annual cost-of-living-adjustment and directed readers to a website designed to look like Social Security’s site so people could “update their information” — valuable information to identity thieves and criminals.

Here are some helpful tips to remember:

The Social Security Administration will never call or email to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash or put money on gift cards.

You do not have to verify your social security number, date of birth or other private information to anyone who initiates a call or email with you.

Never give any part of your social security number, bank account information or credit card number to anyone who contacts you.

Remember, a scammer can duplicate the actual phone number of the Social Security Administration by using a special application or computer driven program. If you are worried the call may be a scam hang-up immediately. The best practice is to only give personal identifying information if you initiate the call first and after you have verified the phone number.

The real phone number for the Social Security Administration is 800-772-1213. To report phone scams, call the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit www.ftc.gov/complaint.