State officials are warning Ohioans of a pair of telephone scams targeting older adults.

On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jillian Froment issued a consumer alert cautioning the public of two scams attempting to steal personal information.

“We have been informed by several of our stakeholder partners of scams seeking to take advantage of our older Ohioan population,” said Froment. “I urge people to be extremely cautious when deciding to share their personal information and to consider contacting organizations directly to initiate conversation and information sharing.”

One scam targets Medicare beneficiaries who are receiving recorded phone calls claiming to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) as it appears on caller ID. The message tells the call recipient their SSA account has been suspended and asks them to press the number “1” for more information.

According to the Ohio Department of Insurance, pressing “1” does connect the victim to the SSA, but a third party scammer is also on the line to steal any information shared with the SSA. Beneficiaries are warned that the SSA will not call them unless it is requested. To verify the legitimacy of a call, beneficiaries can call the SSA at 1-800-269-027. Additional information is available at https://faq.ssa.gov/en-us/Topic/article/KA-10018.

“Unfortunately, older adults are one of the most targeted groups for scammers,” said DeWine. “We want to make sure older Ohioans are armed with the information they need to protect themselves in case they receive a suspicious call.”

The second scam targets Ohio Public Employee Retirement System (OPERS) members, who are reportedly receiving phone calls from a scammer claiming to be with VIA Benefits and asking for personal information to establish the member’s prepaid funeral account.

According to the Ohio Department of Insurance, although VIA Benefits provides certain insurance services, such phone calls are not being made. Members receiving calls can contact VIA Benefits at 1-844-287-9945 or OPERS at 1-800-222-7377.

Those living in Ohio that suspect wrongdoing or victimization can call the Ohio Department of Insurance’s fraud and enforcement hotline at 1-800-686-1527 or contact non-profit Pro Seniors and its fraud-fighting Ohio Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-800-488-6070.