HELENA – Scammers are continuing their attempts to obtain personal information from unsuspecting Montanans over the phone by claiming to be law enforcement officials, Attorney General Austin Knudsen warned today. The fraudsters are disguising their phone number, so on caller ID, it appears the number is coming from a legitimate local number, which is also referred to as "spoofing." Attorney General Knudsen also reminded Montanans that law enforcement and court officials will never ask for payment over the phone or payment in the form of prepaid and/or gift cards.
Once on the phone with an individual, the scammer will threaten the victim with outstanding warrants or investigations to try to obtain personal information, like bank account numbers. Other times, to supposedly clear the charges or warrant against them, the victim is ordered to obtain reloadable debit cards or other forms of payment, then provide the card numbers to the scammer.
Attorney General Knudsen first alerted Montanans of the scam in December. Since then, the Department of Justice's Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has received additional reports of scammers disguising themselves as law enforcement officials from Cascade County, Lewis and Clark County, Yellowstone County, Flathead County, and a judge in Lewis and Clark County. Scammers will even go so far as to find the names of officers who work at specific departments. OCP is receiving roughly six to eight calls per day from concerned Montanans regarding the scam.
"Law enforcement and court officials will never ask for payment over the phone or payment in the form of gift cards. Do not provide personal information or money to anyone you don't know over the phone," Attorney General Knudsen said. "If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a call, contact our Office of Consumer Protection immediately. They can help you determine whether you are being scammed."
The DOJ's Office of Consumer Protection encourages Montanans who are targeted by these scammers to either hang up the phone or if they think a law enforcement agency may be trying to get a hold of them but they are not sure of the legitimacy of the call, take the following steps:
Ask the caller for his/her name and immediate supervisor;
Ask under what authority this call is being made;
Ask the court of jurisdiction;
Hang up, find the law enforcement agency's phone number from their official website (such as the city or county website) or in the phone book, and call the agency at that number to verify the information provided; and
NEVER provide personal information or payment over the phone to someone unless you initiated the contact (you called them) and you are certain you know who you are speaking to.
To report an attempted scam, use OCP's convenient online reporting form here. You can also call to speak with an investigator at (800) 481-6896 or (406) 444-4500, visit OCP's homepage at https://dojmt.gov/consumer/, or call your local law enforcement agency.
Last year, the Office of Consumer Protection fielded 974 scam complaints and successfully saved Montanans from losing nearly $900,000, including $712,884 that was recovered for Montanans who were victimized by scammers and $168,020 in prevented loss for consumers who called inquiring about whether they were being scammed.
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