A phone call can drain a lifetime of savings in less than an hour. That is not drama. That is exactly what happens when someone pretending to represent the government convinces a retiree that their Social Security number links to a crime and demands payment on the spot.
The scam works because it feels urgent, official, and terrifying. It sounds like trouble with the law. It sounds like frozen benefits. It sounds like handcuffs and courtrooms and everything people want to avoid. And in that moment of fear, logic often takes a back seat.
