The Indiana State Police have announced that concerned citizens have reported multiple instances of phone scammers calling while utilizing the Indiana State Police General Headquarters phone number.
According to authorities, the scammer has been utilizing a Caller ID that shows “Indiana State Police” with the number 317-232-8248. Once the caller answers, the scammer reportedly identifies themselves as an Indiana State Police Trooper and tells the recipient that their identity was compromised or stolen. The scammer will then ask for personal information to “verify” that the person receiving the call is the same as the person that had their identity stolen; however, the person’s identity had not been stolen.
The Indiana State Police stated that the department does not cold call people and request personal or financial information for any reason. The department issued a reminder for citizens that phone scammers can be persuasive, convincing and technically savvy in an attempt to acquire the needed information to conduct the scam.
“Scammers will often play on your emotions and fears in order to get your personal information and money,” the department released.
The department stated that citizens should be cautious about answering unsolicited calls from unknown numbers and should hang up if the conversation seems to be a scam.
The department encouraged citizens that feel that they may have been a victim of a phone scam to instantly report the incident to local law enforcement and alert their bank if they provided any financial information to halt possible fraud payments organized by the scammer.
“As a reminder, never give out personal information such as date of birth, social security number or bank and credit card numbers,” the department released. “Many of these scammers want you to make a hasty decision and may pressure you to get your personal information and/or money.”
The department encouraged citizens to discuss the possibility of phone scams with the entire family and formulate a plan for the possibility of a scammer calling a loved one. Citizens are also encouraged educate themselves on possible scams as an additional precaution against the scammers.