OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Department of Homeland Security
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For Information Contact:
March 4, 2021 Public Affairs (202) 981-6000
DHS OIG Participates in the 2
nd
Annual National “Slam the Scam” Day
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector
General (OIG) joins the Social Security Administration (SSA) OIG and other
Federal agencies on March 4, 2021 for the 2
nd
Annual National “Slam the
Scam” Day, to raise public awareness of government imposter telephone
scams across the United States.
DHS OIG joins SSA OIG in warning all Americans to hang up on all
government imposters, and asking them to spread the word to family and
friends. These pervasive scams—in which callers pretend to be
government employees to mislead victims into providing personal
information or making payments—have become a scourge on the American
public.
Most recently, scammers, posing as DHS officials, have used Facebook and
Instagram accounts in an attempt to swindle money through Cash App and gift
cards. The scammers may use one of the following forms of contact:
Sending a direct message to a victim through Facebook or Instagram to
solicit money;
Posting on a victim’s Facebook timeline to advertise Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) assistance, which includes contact
information or a link; or
Creating “highlights” on an Instagram account homepage, which
advertise ways to make money.
In a direct message, the perpetrator indicates that if the victim sends money
through Cash App, the victim will receive a substantial dividend in return, e.g.,
$10 for $1500, $200 for $5500, or $650 for $7000. Variations of the Facebook
posts include offering COVID-19 relief assistance via Cash App by paying a
grant-processing fee, requesting comments on a Facebook page and then
directing the victim to purchase gifts cards to receive a dividend paid by FEMA,
and soliciting contributions to fraudulent organizations such as “FEMA World
Health.” The Instagram “highlights” connect to sites advertising FEMA
assistance and provide instructions on how to send money to receive money in
return.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Department of Homeland Security
DHS OIG reminds you this “Slam the Scam” Day that if you are contacted
through social media, do not provide any personal information. DHS and
FEMA will never contact you using Facebook or Instagram. FEMA does not
request grant-processing fees for benefits and will not request that you
contribute to causes or charities using gifts cards or CashApp payments.
FEMA does not issue dividends. We encourage the public to report these
scams to Facebook and Instagram.
DHS OIG takes these matters very seriously. Anyone who believes they may
have been a victim of this scam is urged to call the DHS OIG Hotline (1-800-
323-8603) or file a complaint online via the DHS OIG website
www.oig.dhs.gov/hotline. By retaining information such as the CashApp
account, the Facebook profile, Instagram handle, or email address you were
contacted on, you may be able to provide valuable information that could assist
DHS OIG to investigate the scam.
For more information regarding SSA OIG’s National “Slam the Scam” day
activity you can visit SSA OIG.
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