BEWARE: Fraudsters are spoofing phone numbers under the guise of government agencies, report suggests

ALBANY, NY- The U.S. Attorney’s Office for New York’s Northern District is warning members of the public to beware of the latest trend scammers are utilizing to fool their victims.

Officials are reporting that scammers are going as far to spoof phone numbers under the guise of government agencies. In other words, when your phone rings, these latest scam calls appear to be coming from a legitimate government agency.

Lately, these calls have been focused on immigration matters, including visa status and personal information.

It is reported that scammers are even threatening consequences for those who resist their demands.

As always, officials advise for folks to never reveal any personal information to an untrusted source.

If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and would like to confirm the call is legitimate, please hang up and contact 315-448-0672.

While scammers can spoof their phone numbers to appear to be calling from this number when making outgoing calls, they cannot receive calls made to this number, officials said. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will never:

• Direct you to tell us exactly where you are at any given moment; or
• Threaten you or tell you there are “consequences” if you do not speak to us or comply with any demands.

Scam alert image.