Scammers pose as cops

Telemarketing scammers claiming to be law enforcement are threatening people to pay them money or face arrest. Attorney General Roy Cooper warns consumers, “Don’t let scammers intimidate you into paying debts you don’t owe.” Cooper added, “These calls come from crooks, not real law enforcement officers.”

Consumers in North Carolina and elsewhere have recently reported getting calls from the Federal State Bureau of North Carolina, which is not an actual law enforcement organization. The callers tell people they owe a debt and must pay it now or go to jail. The threatening calls come from 336-505-7092, a Google Voice number that could be used by scammers anywhere in the world.

Both the Attorne General’s Consumer Protection Division and the State Bureau of Investigation have received reports about the fraudulent calls. This is not the first time Cooper’s office has heard of debt collection scammers posing as police (http://ncdoj.gov/News-and-Alerts/Alerts/Don’t-Fall-For-Phony-Debt-Collectors.aspx).

Even though the fraudulent calls originate overseas, the scammers sometimes spoof the phone number of a real law enforcement agency to make their calls appear to come from a local sheriff or police department. Some of these collection calls are made to people who owe money on Internet payday loans, while other people who get the calls have never taken out a payday loan.

If you receive a similar call:

* Don’t give out your personal information, particularly your bank account and credit card information.

* Check your credit reports for free at www.annualcreditreport.com or 1-877-322-8228 to spot any unauthorized credit cards or loans taken out in your name.

* Consider a free security freeze to block unauthorized use of your credit. For information about how to place a security freeze on your credit card, visit www.ncdoj.gov or call 1-877-5-No-Scam.

* Remember that legitimate debt collectors will provide you with written proof of a debt. They are not allowed to use profanity or threaten you with violence or arrest, and they must follow rules about when and how they contact you.

Consumers can report debt collection scams to the attorney general’s office by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or filing a consumer complaint at http://www.ncdoj.com/getdoc/fdbee1c7-c2a9-4f67-91b2-bb50beea1cOa/2-2-12.aspx. (Courtesy Gail Sonnesso, GEM director)