Indiana State Police are warning Hoosiers to be aware of a couple of phone scams during the holiday season.
One is the IRS Scam, in which the caller claims that back taxes are owed and then threatens immediate arrest if money isn’t sent as directed. Police remind residents never to give the caller any personal information, such as bank account and credit card numbers, social security numbers, and birth dates.
Another common scam is the Credit Card Scam, which typically involves a phone call with a computerized voice claiming to be from a major credit card company saying your credit card has been suspended. It then asks you to type in your credit card number to get the card reactivated. Police say by doing this, you’re giving the scammer your credit card number and making yourself open to fraudulent charges. Even if you get a call from a live person, police say the best thing to do is call back using the customer service number listed on your credit card, to check if the call is legitimate.
Indiana State Police say it’s important to remember that any call demanding large sums of money is most likely fraudulent. They say residents can check to see if a phone number is connected with a scam simply by typing it into a search engine. If it’s been involved with a scam, there have probably been plenty of people reporting it online.
Police also say if you get a call from a scammer, just hang up. Even if the caller sounds threatening, they’re much more likely just to move on to the next phone number than to call you back.
Police say it’s nearly impossible to prosecute those responsible for scams like these, and they’re almost always traced back to a foreign country.
