The DEA is sounding the alarm after receiving reports of scammers fraudulently claiming to be someone from the IRS or DEA.
Some scammers will call individuals and claim that a rental car has been found in their name filled with drugs. These are lies and scammers are just trying to get your personal information.
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“We are finding that these scams are both domestic and their foreign bad actors as well, who are running these scams,” DEA agent Brian McNeal said. “These extortionists call people up and pretend to be DEA agents and we just want to get the word out that these guys are fake.”
Scammers claim to be with the DEA and ask for personal information such as identifying information or financial information.
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“These scam artists are good at what they do and they are very convincing. And they call people, and pretend to be DEA agents and try to get personal information from them. Whether it’s credit card information or social security number or even bank account information,” McNeal said.
The scammers go as far as sending pictures of fake credentials. The DEA said many people have fallen for these scams, mainly the elderly.
“I’ve seen upwards of $12,000 that people have fallen victim to and they will take it in any form if they can convince you to give them an Amazon gift card or Google Play gift card, or an iTunes gift card. Whatever it takes, they will work to get something out of you,” McNeal said.
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If you call out a scammer, they will usually become aggressive. The best option is to not answer phone numbers you don’t recognize. If you do speak to someone who demands money you should hang up immediately.
The DEA will never call asking for your personal identification or financial information. If you do fall victim to one of these scams you can report it here.
If you have given out personally identifiable information like a social security number you can learn how to protect yourself against identity by clicking here.
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