The Virginia State Police have reported several cases have opened this week regarding the loss of large amounts of money from victims in phone scams. The calls are listed as originating from, and show names of multiple police agencies on the phone, including the Department of Justice. In many cases, the caller id listing the names is misspelled, but shows as originating in the continental US. There are several stories the caller tells the victim, and they appear to have information on the individual they are targeting, including names, addresses, and other personal information. They all threaten the arrest of the victim if they do not pay immediately.
The Virginia State Police advises the public to be vigilant, and reassures the public that no police agency, or federal law enforcement agency, will call an individual on the phone and require a cash payment over the phone. In addition, if law enforcement is taking action against an individual, the courts will be involved and payments will be made through the court system.
If anyone receives a call of this nature, they should not agree to pay, and they need to hang the phone up and report it immediately. If they have any questions, they should call the agency or the court system that the call supposedly originated from, by looking up the number from a trusted source and calling. Do not call the same number listed on the caller id.
There are many different scams that will try to have the victim stay on the phone until they receive a payment. Scammers are demanding money, bitcoin and other forms of payment, or the victim will be arrested.
