Forest Hills Congresswoman Cracks Down On Area Telephone Scam

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Forest Hills congresswoman Grace Meng recently announced that the U.S. Senate has passed a law to fight back against a widespread telephone scam, according to a release.

The new law is supported by Congresswoman Meng’s bill H.R. 423, known as the “Anti-Spoofing Act of 2017.” The House of Representatives passed Meng’s bill in January.

Meng’s bill is intended to crack down on those who “spoof,” a scheme in which criminal disguise their caller ID to make it appear as though the caller is from a financial institution, police department or government agency, the release said.

Their goal, said Meng, is to steal residents’ money by convincing their target to wire cash or provide bank account or other personal information. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

“For too long, criminals have gotten away with using fake caller ID information to steal hard-earned money — sometimes thousands of dollars and complete savings accounts — from innocent and unsuspecting victims,” Meng said in the release.

Meng’s legislation would further make it illegal to attempt spoofing from abroad, the release said. The congresswoman seeks to expand spoofing protections to cover internet-based voice-over internet protocol (VoIP), such as Skype and Ventrilo, and text massaging.

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