Officials Warn Of Phone Scam Targeting Islip Residents

ISLIP, NY - Officials are warning locals of a recent phone scam targeting residents in Islip.

According to Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, police officials are reporting that there has been several reports on Wednesday from residents who have received calls from a number that appears to be with the Social Security Administration (SSA) or a federal law enforcement agency.

The caller states that there has been an issue with the potential victim’s social security number, that fraudulent accounts have been opened under their name and that it is urgent that this "gets cleared up."

According to the police, the caller then states that they have been working with local law enforcement officials to investigate the issue, and they should expect another call from local police.

Then the potential victim receives another spoofed call which appears to come from a local precinct’s telephone number.

In this second call, the scammer requests personal information and also requests that money be sent. Police officials say that spoofing software helps scammers mask calls to appear as if they were coming from legitimate sources.

These calls are fraudulent and are attempts to steal your personal information and money, according to police.

Officials will never ask the general public for money, nor will they ask for personal information such as social security numbers or credit card information.

For tips on how to protect yourself from scam attempts in Suffolk County, visit the Suffolk County Police Department’s Scam Alert page at: suffolkpd.org/home/scamalerts.aspx.