Phone calls claiming to be from the New York Attorney General's office, specifically the Buffalo District Office, are attempting to trick unsuspecting citizens into revealing personal information and paying money under the threat of lawsuits over bogus unpaid debts that the office is trying to collect. These are known as phone scams.
While this may seem reckless, scammers know that when they impersonate government agencies they can influence the recipient of the call, and they are very likely to succeed in fraudulently extracting money from them.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a warning Wednesday about such calls, saying they have increased in frequency. In one day, six consumers reported receiving these types of calls, suggesting that the phone scams are particularly active and widespread.
Phone scams can be identified relatively easily by the fact that the person on the other end presents the false demands as urgent, pressuring the victim to comply with the request and defrauding them.
To cover their tracks, scammers ask for money paid via prepaid cards, giving the code over the phone. These actions are difficult to detect because the money can be withdrawn from different cash withdrawal points, without being identified.
Any call from an individual requesting money or personal information and pretending to come from a trusted institution, citizens are advised to hang up the phone and verify the authenticity of the call by calling the appropriate service themselves, requesting information.
Citizens should also not answer voicemails.
