ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — The Elizabethtown Police Department has issued a warning to Pennsylvania residents of an ongoing “Caller ID Spoofing” scheme.
Elizabethtown Police say they have received numerous phone calls from people indicating they received “missed” calls from the Elizabethtown Police Department as evidenced by EPD’s phone number being listed on their Caller ID.
In one instance, the caller spoke to a subject who refused to identify themself and then hung up on the caller. Police say this is an example of a “Caller ID Spoofing” scheme, which is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to a Caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use this technique to make an incoming call appear as if it is coming from a local number, trusted company, or government agency.
Scammers attempt to get people to answer the phone so they can use scam scripts to steal their money or personal information. Police advise never giving 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, ensure you remember/do the following:
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Do not give out sensitive personal information such as your bank account numbers, passwords, or your Social Security number to the caller. An EPD member will never ask you for this information over the phone.
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Ask for the caller’s name, title, and badge number. A member of EPD 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.
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After you have the previously mentioned information, politely end the phone call and then re-contact the EPD using the phone number listed on the Department’s website. Ask to speak to the EPD member who contacted you on the phone. If the call was legitimate, the EPD member will verify his/her badge number to you on the phone.
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