Wilmette Woman Loses $500 After Scammer Pretends To Be Cop, FBI

WILMETTE, IL - Scammers target millions of Americans every year, and their dishonest tactics show no signs of slowing down. According to the Wilmette Police Department, a local woman was recently ripped off by a scammer claiming to be with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and their very own department.

On Dec. 13, police said the victim received several phone calls from a “spoofed number.” The caller claimed to be a Wilmette police officer and was calling from “847-256-1200," police said.

The caller allegedly transferred her to the “FBI” where she was told she was under investigation, and the Wilmette Police Department would arrest her if she did not purchase gift cards and provide the numbers to the caller.

Police said the victim complied and sent one gift card worth $500 to the caller before becoming suspicious. The case is under investigation.

According to USA.gov, it's important to report phone scams to federal agencies. They can’t investigate individual cases, however, your report, they say, can help them collect evidence for lawsuits against scammers.

• Report all robocalls and unwanted telemarketing calls to the Do Not Call Registry.
• Report caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission either online or by phone at 1-888-225-5322.

How to Protect Yourself From Telephone Scams

To avoid being a victim of a telephone scam, USA.gov reminds people to:

Do

• Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You may register online or by calling 1-888-382-1222. If you still receive telemarketing calls after registering, there’s a good chance that the calls are scams.
• Be wary of callers claiming that you’ve won a prize or vacation package.
• Hang up on suspicious phone calls.
• Be cautious of caller ID. Scammers can change the phone number that shows up on your caller ID screen. This is called “spoofing.”
• Independently research business opportunities, charities, or travel packages being offered by the caller.

Don’t

• Don’t give in to pressure to take immediate action.
• Don’t say anything if a caller starts the call asking, “Can you hear me?” This is a common tactic for scammers to record you saying “yes.” Scammers record your “yes” response and use it as proof that you agreed to a purchase or credit card charge.
• Don’t provide your credit card number, bank account information, or other personal information to a caller.
• Don’t send money if a caller tells you to wire money or pay with a prepaid debit card.