Shelby Township police issues 'spoofing' scam alert

The Shelby Township Police Department released a reminder about the dangerous of "spoofing" phone numbers.

"Spoofing" is the practice where scam artists can force your caller ID to register the phone number of a police department or other legitimate agency. Even though the caller ID says "Police Department" you cannot always believe what you say.

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Recently, the Shelby Township Police Department received a report that scam artists contacted a resident, pretended to be with the police department, and tried to get money from them. Police departments do not call you to ask for money out of the blue. Shelby Township Police did not give more details on what approach the scammers used, or how much money they ask tried to steal, but please be on alert.

Avoiding Phone Scams, "Spoofing" and More

No matter what the phone scam might be, Ruth to the Rescue has come up with a four-step process that can protect you, your personal information, and your money every time.

First, be very suspicious of any calls you receive out of the blue. It is very unlikely that you are in trouble with the police, IRS, or utility company if the phone call is the FIRST sign of any trouble. All of those agencies will contact you in writing about legitimate issues. Please, be very suspicious of any calls that come as complete surprises.

Even better, when possible avoid answering the phone when the caller ID is strange, or even when it looks legitimate (but could be spoofing). Consider this four-step process.

1) IGNORE! Use caller ID to help you avoid callers you don't recognize. Plain and simple, if you stop answering strange numbers, scammers will not be encouraged to call you back. Just avoid them all together. Also, if someone is spoofing a legitimate number, it's probably better to let them leave a message.

That way they won't be able to try to persuade, badger, or trick you into giving them either money or personal information.

2) RESIST! Don't give out any personal information over the phone or allowed yourself to be pressured into making a quick payment. No matter what the claim, don't let them push you into doing something that could be a big mistake.

3) Instead, VERIFY! If you think the call may be legitimate, find a legitimate way to contact the organization that's calling for you. If they claim to be from DTE, call the actual number on your bill. If they claim to be from Mastercard, call the number on the back of your card. Do NOT call the number they leave on the message and expect to get good information. Scammers work in teams, the person may sound different, but that person is likely part of the scheme.

4) NOTIFY! Warn family and friends about the call, and share information with the police, IRS, or Federal Trade Commission.

These four steps apply to every phone scam. Also, you can really apply similar principles to any suspicious emails or texts you receive. Remember, NEVER click on links in strange emails, as you could unleash a virus in your computer!

It's a lot to remember, but if you slow down and think about these steps it should give you enough time to do some research and avoid any trouble.