Police authorities have detected a telephone scam that could put at risk the personal information of victims who fall for it. Several residents in Chicago Heights, IL, and Lynchburg, VA, have been hit by the scam.

In Chicago Heights, the modus operandi usually works this way:

• A call comes in, which appears on caller identification as if it is coming from a prison. Once the resident answers the phone, the call shifts to a recording.

• The resident gets several automated instructions. Eventually, a live person takes the call and, in so many ways, gives the resident the impression that the caller is a police officer. The caller tells the resident that someone he or she knows (but cannot be identified) has been involved in an accident.

• The caller then says the call is being made to the resident because the phone number has been taken from the injured person’s cell phone.

• More instructions are then given, and the call may later result in the caller (scammer) obtaining details about the resident’s (or victim’s) phone number and other personal information.

The scam sounds very straightforward and legitimate, and it is easy for residents to be fooled. Even a police officer was nearly duped; the officer received at least seven phone calls, and realized it was a scam when he finally answered the phone and talked to the caller.

Chicago Heights police do not exactly know how the scam works out. The speculations is that the scammer sells the phone numbers obtained to a third party or is somehow able to use the numbers in a fraudulent operation.

At this point, police say it may seem that a problem does not arise immediately just because you answer the call. However, something else may happen in the future so it is best to be careful.

In Virginia, the caller tells the resident he/she would receive $500 checks monthly from Social Security. The caller asks for the resident’s checking account number in order to facilitate the check transfers.

Safety Tips:

• Hang up the phone. Police say it is important that people who receive calls of the sort hang up the phone immediately. It is possible that your phone will keep on ringing until you pick it up and answer.

• Inform police immediately. Keeping the police informed about possible scams enables them to assess the extent of the operation.

• Never give out personal information.

• Check your credit reports regularly.

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