Scammers use FBI phone number to target victims

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The FBI is warning North Carolinians to be on alert for a phone scam that spoofs the FBI’s phone number on your caller ID.

The Charlotte Field Office says FBI offices in at least eight states, including North Carolina, have received multiple calls reporting a scam involving someone claiming to be an FBI agent and demanding repayment for a school loan. On occasion, the caller even threatens the victim with arrest and not graduating from school if the fees were not immediately satisfied via MoneyGram.

According to the FBI, the caller often knows the name of the intended victim and has called a personal cell phone number as well as a work number to reach intended victims. In addition, the originating telephone number used by the scammer is displayed or “spoofed” as that of the telephone number of the Charlotte FBI field office.

Scammers have spoofed the phone numbers of FBI offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Montana, and Wisconsin, the FBI says.

The public is reminded that the FBI does not call private citizens requesting money. The agency says there are a number of ways people with criminal intentions can obtain your name, phone number or email address. The FBI reminds you to limit the information you freely provide online including on social media sites. Phone scammers typically use fear, intimidation and threats to get a victim to send money.

To protect against fraud the FBI offers these tips:
-Never give out personal information to someone you did not initiate contact with.
-Before signing up for a contest or email distribution list, make sure the business has a policy not to share your information or sell it to a third party.
-Be leery of anyone you did not initiate contact with who asks for payment using a third party such as MoneyGram or GreenDot prepaid cards.
-Scammers count on your lack of knowledge, so take the time to educate yourself about any offer you receive.
-Anyone who gets such calls or who needs to report any Internet related crime can file a complaint through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.