Illinois State Police warn the
public of "spoofing" call scam
Scammers using local ISP phone numbers to
scam victims
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[January 24, 2020]
Springfield, IL – Illinois State Police (ISP) officials have
received multiple calls from the public concerning suspected scam
calls. Various ISP districts throughout the state have received
reports from citizens stating they have received calls from
individuals with a foreign accent claiming to be members of the
Illinois State Police seeking their personal information. It has
also been reported the callers claim there is some police matter
that needs to be resolved which requires the would-be-victims’
personal information (full name, date of birth, social security
number, etc.). Concerned citizens have also reported the telephone
number where the call originated, matched the ISP District telephone
number.
This type of scam is a common technique known as “spoofing.”
Spoofing occurs when a telephone number is manipulated and disguised
to look like an alternate telephone number of a person’s choosing.
Usually the number is disguised to match the telephone number of a
government agency that would typically gather personal information
in the performance of their duties.
A few factors to consider:
· Always ask the caller to identify himself/herself by name.
· If an ISP Trooper needs to collect personal information from you,
they will usually collect the information during an in-person
interview.
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· Although there are certainly times when an incident will require a follow up
telephone call by an ISP Trooper to gather additional information, e.g. a
traffic crash investigation, an ISP Trooper will never ask for your social
security number over the phone. The Trooper will also have knowledge of the
incident you were involved in and your specific role in that incident.
· Scammers can be very aggressive in their techniques. One of their most common
used techniques is to create a sense of urgency and fear in their potential
victims in order to gain their personal information.
· If you receive a call from and ISP Trooper claiming to be calling from an ISP
District, request the name of the caller and advise the caller you will call
them back. Look up the ISP District phone number they claim to be calling from,
then call the number and ask to speak to the Trooper whose name you were given.
If there is not a Trooper by that name, please advise the call taker of the
incident that just occurred. ISP District telephone numbers can be found on the
ISP website: www.isp.state.il.us.
[ISP Public Information Office] |