Scam Alert: Del. State Police Phone Numbers “Spoofed”

Delaware State Police are investigating apparent phone scams in which callers are spoofing Delaware State Police phone numbers.
People receiving such calls have been told they are wanted and owe bail money. But, State Police Thursday said that they never request payment of fines, traffic tickets or bail — such transactions are handled through the courts.
Spoofing technology allows potential scammers to make the call appear to come from a law enforcement agency. State Police said it’s an apparent attempt to fraudulently receive electronic payment or personal information, and the recipient is free to hang up and should not respond to pressure to take immediate action.

Delaware State Police offered additional fraud prevention tips:

1. Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you do so by accident, hang up.
2. If a caller (live or recorded) suggests hitting a button to stop receiving calls from them, hang up. This can be a trick to engage you in conversation.
3. Never give out any personally identifiable information – for example, account numbers, Social Security Number, passwords or PINs, or your mother’s maiden name.
4. If a caller claims to be with a legitimate company, call back using the phone number on a statement you have from them, or on their verified, secure website.  This is particularly important if the caller asks you to verify personal information or make a payment.
5. If you are immediately pressured for information – be cautious. You are not obligated to answer any question asked of you.
6. Set your own password for your voicemail.  Some voicemail services are set up to automatically allow access to your mailbox if you call in from your own phone. If a scammer spoofs your number, they can access your messages unless there is a password or PIN requirement in place.
7. Use a call blocking tool (talk to your phone company) or reputable app on your mobile device.  There are different options for different platforms. Do some research and choose the one that makes the most sense for you.