Consumer Alert
Scammers can fake caller ID info
Your phone rings. You recognize the number, but when you pick up, it’s someone else. What’s the deal?
Scammers are using fake caller ID information to trick you into thinking they are someone local, someone you trust – like a government agency or police department, or a company you do business with – like your bank or cable provider. The practice is called caller ID spoofing, and scammers don’t care whose phone number they use. One scammer recently used the phone number of an FTC employee.
Don’t rely on caller ID to verify who’s calling. It can be nearly impossible to tell whether the caller ID information is real. Here are a few tips for handling these calls:
- If you get a strange call from the government, hang up. If you want to check it out, visit the official (.gov) website for contact information. Government employees won’t call out of the blue to demand money or account information.
- Don’t give out — or confirm — your personal or financial information to someone who calls.
- Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card. In fact, never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.
- Feeling pressured to act immediately? Hang up. That’s a sure sign of a scam.
Want more tips for avoiding scams? Check out 10 Ways to Avoid Fraud.
If you’ve received a call from a scammer, with or without fake caller ID information, report it to the FTC and the FCC.
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add these two numbers to the IRS scam 804-661-2173 and 206-494-0741. received multiple calls today alone
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Here is another phone number for the IRS scam : 1-206-775-8307. I tried to post a complaint on the white pages, but it says no such number exists, so the scammer is also faking caller ID's. Great. We can't rely on the gov't for everything; the phone companies should try to fix this, too.
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Add 360-208-0783 - man called my 85 y/o mother claiming to be IRS (from South Bend, Washington)and scared her enough that I wish he could sit in jail the rest of his life.
He told her she owed $11,000 and that if she didn't pay she would be arrested. They told her to go to a location (in or near a Walgreens store) and bring a debit card to make a "good faith" payment of $500.00. Thank goodness my mother gave no information to him. I researched the number and saw it is connected with numerous scams.
I blocked my number and called it. Sure enough they answer (in a thick foreign accent) as Internal Revenue Service. I had the IRS FAQ page up regarding this type scam, where they clearly state they will never do what this caller did. He answered I said "are you aware that"...and read the IRS warning about people like him. Further,they would send certified letter first and would also never have you go somewhere to make a payment, or send money order, check, etc. Then when my mom told them to send her something in the mail and then she will determine what needs to be done. He then threatened that if she did not pay within 30 min. police would come to arrest her. Of course no police showed up. I reported this to FTC and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
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Add: (509) 643-4470, caller ID says Sunnyside, WA Recvd 2 calls on January 8, 2016 Message left saying they are the IRS, made threats
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