(Decatur, IL) — On Tuesday, Macon County State’s Attorney Jay Scott announced that local Senior Citizens are being targeted by a Social Security telephone scam. The calls, some of which are automated and demand a return call, claim that illegal activity has been detected on the Senior Citizen’s Social Security number. The callers threaten legal action, disruption of Social Security benefits, or freezing assets unless immediate action is taken. The scam is designed to trick victims into disclosing personal identifying information which could lead to identity theft. Numerous reports of this scam have been made to the Elder Fraud Hotline in the past few days. Residents are advised to hang up if this call is received, to ignore answering machine messages demanding a return call, and to never provide personal information over the phone to unknown sources. Please report any suspected scams to the Elder Fraud Hotline at 217-615-7582. All calls are answered by State’s Attorney Jay Scott. For more information on scams, please visit the State’s Attorney’s website at www.sa-macon-il.us.