Officials at the Forest Police Department would like to bring to light a scam that has been taking place throughout the local area. Numerous residents have reported being contacted by telephone in attempts to solicit money. The scam uses a “spoofing” method and when residents receive a call the number on their Caller ID will appear to be a legitimate phone number, but that is not the case. The perpetrators are using the threat of being arrested to trick unknowing citizens into sending money as part of the scam.
Forest Chief of Police Will Jones said that FPD has been alerted to the scam that is being used to get unsuspecting citizens to send money by the way of Wal-Mart gift cards and GreenDot money cards. Citizens should be wary of any call requesting that money be sent via any method. If you receive one of these calls you should hang up and immediately contact local authorities.
“A person claiming to be with the Social Security Office and/or the IRS will contact you requesting a return call to discuss a matter that could lead to your arrest,” Jones said. “After a quick spill of complete false information, you will be directed to speak with the ‘local police’. At this point you would receive a call from an unknown source, but your Caller ID will show 601-469-4141 which is the real number for the FPD but it’s not us calling. This is to make you believe it is a real phone call.”
The number that comes up when you receive the call is the number for the FPD, but this is accomplished through a tactic called spoofing. Spoofing allows the caller to mask the real number they are calling from with any number they choose. In this instance the Forest Police Department is being used to make this scam seem legitimate.
“The Forest Police Department does not contact individuals by phone in the attempt to collect fines or accept payment of fines over the telephone,” Jones said. “A Walmart money card or GreenDot money card is not an accepted form of payment for fines.”
Government agencies and law enforcement agencies do not contact individuals and demand payment immediately. In almost all instances you will receive written notice that explains the amount you are required to pay, the time parameters you have to make payment and the consequences for failing to pay. All of this information will be explained and there will be contact information for any questions or concerns you may have.
Under no circumstances should citizens ever give out personal or financial information during a telephone call they did not initiate to a known number. With the technological advances today, scammers have many tools to trick unknowing people into believing that they are legitimate. The best practice is if you receive one of these calls to immediately contact authorities and never give out information or send money in any form.
“If someone contacts you by phone claiming to be an officer or a representative of the Forest Police Department and advising you to send money or you will be arrested……do not do it,” Chief Jones said. “This is a scam. Please take note of the number they are calling from, whether real or not, hang up on them and contact the real Forest Police Department at 601-469-4141 to report this scam.”
“A good rule of thumb, if someone calls to collect money, don’t give them anything…hang up immediately.” Jones said. “If they claim to be from a creditor that you have business with, you should contact the creditor at the number you have on file and verify the call was a legitimate call.”
Scammers work to steal money from individuals on a daily basis and they will say anything in order to make their plan a success. The best thing to do is to always be overly questionable when dealing with unsolicited telephone calls. It is far better to be safe than sorry.
