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The Scarsdale Village Manager’s Office issued an alert on Wednesday, Jan. 23, warning that their number - (914) 722-1110 has been spoofed and is being used to make fake calls soliciting money from residents.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), “Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally, but also can be used legitimately, for example, to display the toll-free number for a business.”
According to village officials, people scattered across the country have been receiving calls showing the Village Manager’s Office number on the caller ID. When connected, the callers have been soliciting or demanding money for several reasons, including ill, injured or arrested family members. The Village Manager noted that the scam does not appear to be local, as contacts to officials have come from out-of-state.
In an alert, officials noted that “the Village of Scarsdale does not solicit or demand any form of payment by phone or wire transfer. Recipients of any such call should disconnect from the caller. Do not provide any information to the caller, no matter how legitimate s/he may sound.”
Village officials and police are currently investigating the issue. Due to the volume of missed calls being returned to staff at Village Hall, they have temporarily disabled the (914) 722-1110 number for incoming calls. Instead, a recorded message is instructing callers actually seeking to contact the Village Manager’s Office to dial a different number.
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