OGDEN -- At least five residents of Harrison Regent, an independent senior living community, received phone calls Wednesday from scammers claiming to represent the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Callers told residents Social Security computers would be down for six months, said Ron Matkin, co-manager of Harrison Regent, 4481 Harrison Blvd.
Matkin said the callers had foreign-sounding accents and informed residents that unless they provided identifying information, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates and debit cards they wouldn't get their monthly checks.
Most of the residents hung up on the callers, but one woman provided the requested information, said Matkin.
The woman later realized her mistake and cancelled her bank-issued debit card Wednesday.
It's unknown how the callers were able to obtain the phone numbers of Harrison Regent residents, Matkin said.
Staff members do not give out the phone numbers of the community's 84 residents.
Harrison Regent has held seminars for its residents on senior citizen fraud, said Matkin, adding it's unfortunate scammers target the elderly.
"Sometimes people are predators and take advantage of the elderly," he said.
The staff of Harrison Regent reported the phone calls to Ogden Police Department.
OPD Lt. Tony Fox said he was not aware of any other seniors in Ogden being targeted by the Social Security scammers.
Jennifer Bolton, a spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Commerce, said her agency received two inquires from elderly individuals within the last week regarding the Social Security phone scam. Neither individual fell for the scam, so the Department of Commerce didn't investigate further.
Individuals contacted by a purported government agency should not provide any identifying information until they verify with the agency that the request is valid, Bolton said.
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