Illinois State Police Warn Of Scammers Posing As Cops

In this "spoofing scam," a caller will pretend to be calling from a specific agency, but they're really trying to get your personal info.

The Illinois State Police said they’ve gotten reports about suspected scam calls from people claiming to be with the Illinois State Police.

WQAD:

In a statement police said the callers were described as having foreign accents and asking for personal information like full name, birth date and social security number. Some reports indicated that callers told them there was “some police matter that needs to be resolved” that required giving up that personal information.

The calls showed up on caller ID as being from the Illinois State Police Department. Police explained that this type of scam is called “spoofing,” which is when a number is disguised to look like its coming from a different place. In these cases, the numbers reportedly matched designated Illinois State Police Districts.

Police say if you get a call that sounds like this, ask the caller to identify their name; if they claim to be a trooper, tell them you will call them back. Then, police advise looking up the number for the Illinois State Police district they claimed to be calling from and then asking for that trooper by name.

In most cases, if the cops need some information that can be deemed "personal," they'll make arrangements to meet with you in person to get that info. Illinois State Police will not ask for your social security information over the phone.