COMMON PHONE SCAMS posing as LAW ENFORCEMENT or GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

IRS

Scammers will use fear tactics like freezing your bank accounts and threatening to send the police if you don’t pay up immediately. The IRS will never call you or send the police to your home. The only way the IRS will get in touch with you is by US Postal Service (mail) on an official IRS letterhead.

FBI

Scammers may tell you there’s a warrant for your arrest, and demand payment and threaten serious consequences like sending the police to your home to arrest you, or initiating legal proceedings, property forfeiture, or asset freezing if you don’t pay.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

A scammer will pose as an agent from US Customs and tell you that illegal items were shipped to you and intercepted by Customs agents, and now there is a warrant out for your arrest, but you can avoid this by paying a fine.

Jury Duty

A scammer posing as a US Marshall, Sheriff Deputy, or other government official will tell you that you missed jury duty and now a warrant for your arrest will be issued unless you pay a fine immediately.

Department of Transportation

A scammer may tell you that your driver’s license is being suspended, and/or a warrant for your arrest is being issued because you have an outstanding fine due. They may threaten to send the police to your home if you don’t pay immediately.

BANK, FINANCIAL, and UTILITY COMPANY PHONE SCAMS

Bank or Other Financial Company

You may get a call from someone saying they’re from your bank, or credit card company telling you that there is suspicious activity on your account. They may ask you for information such as account numbers, personal identification number (PIN), or personal passwords in order to verify your account. Never readily and freely give this information. Hang up and then call the financial institution’s official number on the back of you bank or credit card, to verify that the call was real and that there is in fact suspicious activity on your account.   

Utility Company

You may get a call from someone saying they’re from the electric, gas, or water company telling you that you have an outstanding bill that must be paid immediately to avoid service interruption of your utility. Utility companies will never call and threaten to shut off your service if you don’t pay immediately. You will always receive a warning of shut off by mail and never by phone.

• Official government entities including Federal, State, County, and Local agencies will never call you to threaten you, demand any kind of payment, or ask for personal information over the phone such as your social security number. You will usually receive an official letter in the mail if any payments are due for fines. If there is a warrant out for your arrest, no government agency will ever call you and threaten you to pay a fine to make the warrant go away. If there is a true arrest warrant, you will most likely know why, and law enforcement officials will find you in person, arrest you, and take you to jail.

 

• NEVER fall for callers who instruct you to Wire Money, or obtain certain Gift Cards and ask for the card number over the phone. These are definitely scams and you will lose your money.

 

• If you are the least bit suspicious, or there are any threats to come to your home, ALWAYS Call the Police to be sure.