DOVER - Delaware State Police on Tuesday issued an advisory for a recurring phone scam involving a spoofed phone number.
Authorities said they were aware of multiple incidents in which individuals have received phone calls from a State Police-issued telephone number. Only the number appears on the caller ID; if that number is looked up, it shows that it is a valid State Police phone number, spokesperson Sgt. India Sturgis said..
Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally.
State Police said they will never request payment for fines, traffic tickets, or bail. All these transactions are conducted by the respective court systems and never over the phone. Electronic payments are also never requested via phone for court matters.
State Police said if someone calls you regarding a family member, do not offer personal information about yourself or the family member. Immediately attempt to contact the family to verify their status on your own. Indicators of scam calls are threats, orders not to hang up, and other statements where the scammer places urgency on their request for information or money.
Information on spoofing is available online at fcc.gov/spoofing.
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