Sedona AZ (June 22, 2014) –  Authorities report that two telephone scams are on the rise. The perpetrators seem to be targeting elderly victims, but all citizens are potentially at risk.

In the first scam reported to the Consumer Protection Agency, consumers receive unsolicited phone calls from individuals claiming to be local, state or federal law enforcement officers. The caller tells the consumer they have an unpaid ticket or owe taxes, threatening them with jail or fines in order to obtain personal data and debit/credit card information.

The scammers have been employing a tactic known as “caller ID spoofing” that falsifies the telephone number and name that appears on the consumer’s caller I-D, including using the name of actual police officers.

In the second phone scam, consumers report receiving unsolicited calls from individuals claiming to represent a well-known computer company. The scammer claims that a damaging virus has been detected on the consumer’s computer and that it can be fixed remotely for a small fee. After obtaining the consumer’s credit or debit card information over the phone, the scammer directs them to log into a secure website from their computer in order to initiate the repair. By logging into the site, the consumer unknowingly uploads a virus onto their computer that collects personal and financial data for the scammer.

The public is reminded that government agencies do not call to collect fines or taxes over the phone and to never provide debit or credit card information to unsolicited callers.

If you are subjected to either of these scams, or received other messages that you believe fraudulent, report them by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-220-5424 and your local police.

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