There is another phone scam being reported here in the Morongo Basin – this time the thieves are posing as agents from the FBI and are convincing victims that they owe money to the federal government.
The Sheriff reports that a local resident was recently scammed out of $3,000 by someone who called them posing as federal agents and telling the person that they were “under investigation.”
Phone scammers have long-targeted the elderly and other vulnerable populations by relying on their goodwill – usually they pose as a family member or loved one who needs financial help, or in this case, as a government authority saying that the victim owes them money – using fear of prosecution to get the victim to transfer cash to settle the fake debt.
Z107.7 reminds you to never transfer money to a strange financial account, whether it be a physical bank, Paypal, Venmo, or something else. If someone is asking you for money or personal information such as your EBT card number – consult a family member or friend before making any transaction. Many of the methods scammers use to receive the money aren’t reversible, and scammers will put pressure on you to act quickly. It is always better to wait and investigate the request than to immediately send money without doing due diligence.
As we head into tax season, its reasonable to assume that the frequency of these calls will increase – with the scammers posing as government officials and even saying that the victims have broken a law.
If you or someone you know is being targeted by these scam phone calls – the best thing you can do is hang up the phone and contact law enforcement.
Links – How to spot a phone scam
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