NexusIRS, Social Security and Medicare scam calls
If a caller says they're from the IRS, Social Security or Medicare and wants money or personal details right now, hang up. Social Security won't threaten you or suspend your Social Security number, and no government agency will demand that you pay with gift cards or a wire transfer. If you're worried, contact the agency yourself on a number you look up.
What these calls sound like
The caller says there's a problem. Maybe you owe back taxes. Maybe your Social Security number will be suspended unless you pay right away. Maybe you need a new Medicare card, and they just need your Medicare number.
Then comes the pressure. The FTC says these callers may threaten arrest, deportation or lost benefits if you don't pay right away.
Caller ID may show a government name or a local number, but it can be faked. That's called spoofing. Callers may also know your name or home address, or give an "employee ID number" to sound official. None of that proves the call is real.
What the real agencies say
IRS: The IRS says it normally contacts you the first time by mail. It may call later about your account. Its own list of warning signs includes a caller who threatens you or demands payment now.
Social Security: The FTC says the real Social Security Administration won't threaten you or suspend your Social Security number, and won't call, email or text to ask you to pay. Social Security's Inspector General adds that it will never ask you to move money to protect it, or to keep information secret.
Medicare: Medicare says it will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at home. The FTC says Medicare sends its cards automatically, for free. Only give your Medicare number to your doctor and others who should have it, not to a caller you don't know.
Payment is the biggest clue. The FTC says no government agency will demand that you wire money or pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or a payment app.
What to do if one calls
Hanging up is always safe.
- Hang up. If it's a robocall, don't press any numbers. Don't call back a number the caller gave you.
- Don't share your Social Security number, Medicare number, bank details or card numbers.
- If you think it might be real, contact the agency yourself. Use the number on a letter you got in the mail, or the agency's official website, such as irs.gov or ssa.gov. For Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Where to report it
Keep the caller's number handy.
- Any government impostor call: report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Fake IRS calls: report to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at tigta.gov or 1-800-366-4484.
- Fake Social Security calls: report to Social Security's Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.
- Medicare scams: call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
- You can also tell your state attorney general. If you gave out personal details, IdentityTheft.gov can help with next steps.
How Nexus handles it
Numbers on the spam list are refused, and most callers you don't know are asked who they are before your phone rings. An automated assistant tells the caller the call is being screened and may be transcribed, then asks who's calling and why. Anthropic's Claude reads what the caller says to decide what to do.
Real callers are put through, or leave a voicemail that's turned into text you can read. Calls with no caller ID are refused.
People in your contacts always ring and are never blocked. A number caught as spam on more than one member's line, plus numbers from public FTC complaints, is blocked for everyone. Only the number is shared, never what was said.
Nexus works on Android and iPhone, and you keep your own number and carrier. More about how it works is on the About page.
Nexus is invite-only. The price is on the wait list page, and you can cancel yourself any time.
Common questions
Does the IRS ever call people?
Sometimes. The IRS says it normally contacts you the first time by mail, and it may call later about your account. A caller who threatens you or demands payment now is a warning sign. If you weren't expecting it, hang up and contact the IRS yourself through irs.gov.
Can Social Security suspend my Social Security number?
No. The FTC says the real Social Security Administration won't threaten you or suspend your Social Security number. A caller who says your number is suspended is running a scam. Hang up and report it to Social Security's Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.
Someone called offering me a new Medicare card. Is that real?
The FTC says Medicare sends its cards automatically, for free, and Medicare says it will never call you to sell you anything. Don't give your Medicare number to a caller you don't know. If you're unsure, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
The caller ID showed a government number. Doesn't that prove it's real?
No. Caller ID can be faked, so a call can look like it comes from a government agency when it doesn't. This is called spoofing. Hang up and call the agency on a number you look up yourself.
Can Nexus stop fake government calls?
With Nexus, most callers you don't know are asked who's calling and why before your phone rings, and numbers on the spam list are refused. No screening catches every scam, so it still helps to know the warning signs.
Sources
Last updated 2026-11-09. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. To report a scam, visit reportfraud.ftc.gov.