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<\/a>The scam begins when consumers receive a phone call that displays \u201c9-1-1\u201d on their caller ID. When they answer the call, consumers are told that a warrant will be issued for their arrest or a lawsuit will be filed against them unless they contact the Attorney General\u2019s Office immediately using a number provided by the caller.<\/p>\n
In reality, the calls are not coming from the Ohio Attorney General\u2019s Office or from 9-1-1 dispatchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis appears to be a phone scam designed to scare consumers into providing money or personal information,\u201d Attorney General DeWine said. \u201cIf you receive one of these calls, don\u2019t respond to it and don\u2019t dial the number the caller provides. Instead, hang up and report the call to my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recent reports of the 9-1-1-caller ID scams have come from consumers in Butler, Clinton, Cuyahoga, Erie, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, Seneca, Stark, Summit, and Union counties, but additional consumers likely have been affected.<\/p>\n
Although \u201c9-1-1\u201d appears on the consumer\u2019s caller ID, that number is likely spoofed — meaning a scammer has manipulated the consumer\u2019s caller ID to make it seem as if the call is coming from emergency personnel or law enforcement while concealing the true origin of the call.<\/p>\n
To protect themselves from phone scams, consumers should:<\/p>\n
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- Be skeptical of the phone number that appears on caller ID. It could be spoofed.<\/li>\n
- When in doubt, hang up or don\u2019t answer a call.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t respond to suspicious calls. Even if the call prompts you dial a certain number to avoid arrest or to press a button to \u201copt out,\u201d don\u2019t do it. This could cause you to receive more calls, because it signals that yours is a legitimate phone number.<\/li>\n
- Never provide money or personal information to someone who calls you unexpectedly and demands payment, even if it appears to be an emergency call or a call from the government.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t trust someone who says you have to pay off a debt by using a prepaid card or wire transfer. These are preferred payment methods for scam artists, because once the money is sent, it is difficult to trace or recover.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n