ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — A Lancaster County Police Department is warning the public about an ongoing caller ID spoofing scheme.
The Elizabethtown Police Department said Monday it has received numerous calls reporting "missed" phone calls from the police department's number on their caller ID.
"In one instance, the caller spoke to a subject who refused to identify themselves and then hung up on the caller," the police department said. "This course of action is a Caller ID Spoofing scheme."
Caller ID Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to a potential victim's caller ID display to disguise their identity, the police department said.
"Scammers often use this technique to make an incoming call appear as if it's coming from a local number or a trusted company or government agency," police said. "By doing so, they try to get people to answer the call and then use scam scripts to attempt to steal money or personal information.
"To avoid falling victim to spoofing scams, never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, or passwords over the phone."
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a member of the Elizabethtown Police Department or a police department in your area ensure you do the following:
- Do not give out sensitive personal information such as your bank account numbers, passwords, or your Social Security number to the caller. Police will never ask you for this information over the phone.
- Ask for the caller's name, title, and badge number. A member of a police department will always identify himself/herself to you and will provide you with his/her badge number. The member's badge number is not information that a scammer has access to.
- After you have the previously mentioned information, politely end the phone call and then re-contact police using the phone number listed on the Department's website.
- Ask to speak to the officer who contacted you on the phone. If the call was legitimate, police will verify his/her badge number to you on the phone.
