Bucks County officials warned Thursday that scam callers are spoofing the county government number.
The county has received word recently that residents are receiving scam calls using the government’s 215-348-6000 number, said Bucks County Consumer Protection Director Michael Bannon.
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“It is important to note that the employees of the Bucks County Government offices would not solicit a call requiring that you share personal information. As always, it is advised that you never give out your personal information over the phone,” he said.
Scammers have spoofed – disguised their real phone numbers using technology – government phone numbers across the country as part of schemes over the years. Scammers often impersonate government and business employees.
“With caller ID spoofing, attackers can make it appear as if their phone calls are coming from a specific number – either one that is known and/or trusted to the recipient, or one that indicates a specific geographic location. Attackers can then use social engineering—often posing as someone from a bank or customer support – to convince their targets to, over the phone, provide sensitive information such as passwords, account information, social security numbers, and more,” Bannon said.
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County consumer protection staff have advised residents to not answer calls from numbers they don’t recognize.
Bannon said answering scam calls can increase the chance the phone number will shared with other crooks looking for a potential victim to answer.
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More information or to report caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission can be located at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id, or by calling 1-888-225-5322.
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