Recent Social Security scam prompts warning from police; How they say to handle scam calls

TROY — Police are warning people of a recent Social Security scam going around.

Recently, Indiana State Police sent out a warning about scammers calling people and threatening to suspend your Social Security number. Oftentimes, these scammers will change their caller ID to show up on your phone as government officials or local police departments.

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“Through apps, people were able to change their phone number to make it look like whatever they want,’ Captain Zac Mumford, with the Troy Police Department, said. “We’ve actually had some instances where they’ve used the Troy Police Department’s phone number, but it’s really not. They’re using that disguised number.”

Police have also said that these scammers are often threatening to arrest or take legal action against those they’re calling if they don’t comply with their demands.

News Center 7 spoke to some Miami County residents about these scams. One woman laid out how she’s likely to respond to one of these calls.

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“I would probably tell them that I am not interested in their scam or their shenanigans and hang up,” Carol English said.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, that’s exactly how Mumford wants people to react. He also gave advice on how people should handle the calls.

“Tell them, ‘Ok, well I’m going to call you back’ and you end the conversation and call the police department. Call whatever office says that they’re on the phone with you,” he explained.

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