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There has been a rash of reports of scammers spoofing official state phone numbers that will show up on caller IDs. The fraudsters then attempt to ascertain personal information.
There have been reports of scammers posing as the New York State Inspector General’s Office, New York State Police, and the Social Security Administration in recent weeks.
Several individuals have received phone calls from what appears to be a primary phone number for the New York State Offices of the Inspector General (212-635-3150).
“The Inspector General’s Office is working with law enforcement to investigate the matter. The Offices of the Inspector General advises that it does not make calls from this number,” the agency noted. “Anyone who receives a call from 212-635-3150 should disregard the call.”
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection noted, “we too often see scam artists pretending to be from official state agencies in an attempt to gain personal information from unsuspecting New Yorkers. Government agencies do not typically call people with little or no warning asking for sensitive information or trying to get a payment over the phone. If it seems suspicious, it probably is.”
Officials offered safety tips to help prevent people from becoming a victim of a phone scam:
- Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
- Never provide personal or financial information such as bank accounts, pin numbers or Social Security numbers to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited.
- Do the research and look up phone numbers on your own and contact the company or agency that the caller claims to represent. The phone number they offer may be a fake.
- Check any unfamiliar area codes before returning calls. Be aware that there are many 3-digit area codes that connect callers to international telephone numbers – especially 876.
- Remember that anyone who has the number on a Green Dot MoneyPak card has access to the funds on the card.
- Never wire money, provide debit or credit card numbers or Green Dot MoneyPak card numbers to someone you do not know.
- Utility companies and government agencies will not contact you demanding immediate payment by MoneyPak
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