FT. WAYNE – The Indiana State Police Ft. Wayne Post received a complaint today from a local citizen reporting a phone scam. ISP receives numerous reports of phone scams each year, but this scam has drawn specific attention to the area.
The scammer called with the Caller ID showing “Indiana State Police Post 22.” The phone number displayed also belonged to an extension at the Ft. Wayne Post. The scammer identified herself as Samantha and in this case, was attempting to sell supplemental insurance. Scams like this with “spoofed” Indiana State Police phone numbers have happened across Indiana with scams ranging from telling the victim their identity has been stolen, they have warrants, or attempts to raise money for false charities.
Fortunately, this citizen did not fall victim to this scam, rather he became suspicious and immediately reported the incident to law enforcement.
The Indiana State Police would remind all Hoosiers that these types of phone scammers are pervasive and technically savvy, as was the case here. Scammers will often play on your emotions and fears to get to your money.
The easiest way to protect yourself from being scammed over the phone is either to ignore unsolicited calls from unknown callers or just hang up when something doesn’t seem right.
You should NEVER provide any information over the phone to an unknown caller regarding your personal identity, social security number, bank account(s), or credit card number(s).
If in doubt, or if you feel you may have fallen victim to a phone scammer, just hang up and immediately report the incident to your local law enforcement agency.
