Illinois State Police alert public about phone scam
The Illinois State Police, ISP, are warning the public about a phone scam that is circulating throughout the area.
An individual will call and claim to be associated with the ISP or the “Illinois Police.”
The caller will then ask for a donation or advise there is a warrant out for your arrest and that you need to send money.
The caller ID may say “Illinois Police” or “Illinois State Police.”
State police said the phone number associated with the call may be a 618 area code, but phone scammers have the ability to quickly change the phone number that is displayed on caller ID.
Citizens are advised to be wary of calls which are soliciting money, regardless of what number is displayed, particularly if threats are made by the caller or if the caller becomes pushy. The ISP will never call to solicit money on behalf of the department or ask you to send money to us for any reason.
The state police encourage those who believe they have been the victim of a phone scam to call 1-800-243-0607 and report it to the Illinois attorney general’s office.
For information about the different types of phone scams and indicators of phone scams, visit the Illinois attorney general’s website or the Federal Trade Commission at the following websites:
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/phonescams.html