Illinois State Police warns of recent phone scams

 

LITCHFIELD – The Illinois State Police is warning the public of a phone scam that is currently circulating throughout the state.

Several individuals have reported to the ISP that they have received telephone calls from an individual(s) discussing the ISP pension fund, and requesting they send money immediately.

The phone number associated with the calls has been faked to appear as a legitimate ISP telephone number with a Springfield area code of (217), in a practice known as “caller ID spoofing.” The ISP wants to inform the public these calls are not coming from the ISP. Citizens should be wary of calls soliciting money regardless of the phone number the call is made from, particularly if threats are made by the caller or they become pushy.

The ISP will never call to solicit money on behalf of the Department or ask you to send money for any reason. The ISP encourages those that believe they have been the victim of a phone scam to call (800)243-0618 and report it to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General or call one of the locations below nearest you.

For information on different types of phone scams and indicators of phone scams please visit the Illinois Attorney General website or the Federal Trade Commission at:

http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/phonescams.html
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

—    From the Illinois Business Journal