Idaho – A scammer is making phone calls while spoofing Idaho State Police phone numbers. Idaho says that these calls are not from them.
Idaho State Police received one report of a parent that answered a call from a a man pretending to be a medic who said that their child was in distress. The scammer asked for the child’s name and the parent said they heard the sound of crying in the background.
The child was actually safe at school when the call was made.
Idaho State Police said that the incident was an example of manipulative tactics used by scammers.
“These calls are not coming from the Idaho State Police. This scam is designed to play on the hearts of potential victims and undermines trust in first responders,” Captain Tyler Jussel of the ISP Regional Communications Center said. “By spoofing first responders and dispatch centers, these scammers try to gain credibility in their deception. We want the public to know that ISP will never call in this manner.”
Idaho State Police said that, in order to protect against spoofing scams, people should not provide personal information like names, addresses or account details over the phone, unless they are certain of who is calling.
They also said that people should verify calls before trusting them. If the caller claims to be law enforcement, users should hang up and call the agency back using their publicly-listed phone number.
If the call seems suspicious, they said to hang up immediately.
