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Spot The Spoof: Officials Say Scam Artists Get Savvier With Technology

If you have a cellphone, you’ve probably received a call from a scam artist. And Rhode Island Officials say it’s not just the elderly falling victim.

As Rhode Island Public Radio’s Talia Blake reports, scammers have become savvier in the technology and techniques they use to swindle money out of innocent people.

Here’s an example of a telephone scam going around right now. A caller warns you there are charges pending against you and urges you to take immediate action. This message was left on someone’s cellphone at Rhode Island Public Radio.

"And once it gets expired, after that you will be taken into custody by the local police, as there are 4 serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request that you get back to us, so that we can discuss about this case, before taking any legal action against you," the caller said. 

You may be thinking, "this sounds like a robot and I’d never fall for it." But, every year people lose their hard earned money to phone scams, whether it’s a small amount or in some cases their entire life savings, and authorities say scammers have found more clever ways to trick you into thinking you’re receiving a legitimate call.

Amy Kempe, Public Information Officer for the Rhode Island Attorney General.
Credit Talia Blake / RIPR
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RIPR
Amy Kempe, Public Information Officer for the Rhode Island Attorney General.

They may build a relationship with you on social media or use a phone number that looks familiar.   

Amy Kempe, public information officer for the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office,  said her office was recently impersonated in a scam.

"The phone lines lit up with people from all over the country calling because they had received a call from the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office saying that a relative had been arrested and needed to be bailed out," she said. 

The call was a ruse to convince people to send money. She said within four hours, they received more than 200 phone calls from people who fell for the scam artists scare tactics. 

"At first we we’re confused like ‘What is going on?’ And then we quickly realized that somebody had spoofed the Attorney General’s number," Kempe said. 

Spoofing is when a scammer makes the caller I-D appear like it’s coming from another phone number, in this case, the Attorney General’s Office.

"And they do this a lot, to make the phone number appear that it’s coming for example from Rhode Island with the 401 area code making the individual more apt to pick up the phone," said Martha Crippen, who directs the Consumer Protection Unit for the Rhode Island Attorney General.

Martha Crippen (left), Director for the Rhode Island Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit, sits with Michaela Driscoll (right), Elder Abuse Investigator.
Credit Talia Blake / RIPR
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RIPR
Martha Crippen (left), Director for the Rhode Island Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit, sits with Michaela Driscoll (right), Elder Abuse Investigator.

Once you do pick up the phone, authorities who’ve investigated these cases said scammers use scripts designed to overcome your doubts and convince you to give them money.

"The scammers will ask you for an alternate form of payment. For example, the utility scam. You owe a thousand dollars on your electric bill. I want you to go to the store and buy Apple Itunes card and call me back to the number," Crippen said. 

After you hand over the gift card number, Crippen said once that money is quickly gone, you most likely won’t be getting it back.

"It’s very, very difficult for law enforcement to go after these scammers because of the fact they don’t know whose calling. They don’t know where that number is coming from and 9 times out of 10 it’s originating from out of the country," she said. 

Many victims feel reluctant to come forward. Issues like this make it difficult to bring scammers to justice, but that’s changing.

After a multi-year investigation, the Department of Justice, along with other government agencies, recently convicted 24 defendants in a multi-million dollar Indian-based call center scam.

"This was really the first of its kind in terms of being a large scale multidistrict investigation and prosecution," said David Rybicki, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.

He said this case involved dismantling a transnational network of what he calls "fraudsters and money launderers."

Rybicki believes the key to getting convictions like this is people reaching out to law enforcement, and the Federal Trade Commission, once they realize they’ve fallen victim to a scam. He said investigators utilize specifics like each victim lost to gain insight into how the scam works.

"That provides a great advantage to us when we’re investigating the cases when we hear from the victims," Rybicki said. 

But, how can you prevent yourself from being a victim in the first place?

Martha Crippen from the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office recommends taking a moment to think about what you’re hearing and if it’s credible.

"The red flags are pretty obvious, but when you’re in the moment they may not be," Crippen said. "No matter what scam it is, stop and think. If it’s an IRS scam. ‘Oh, I’m retired.  I’m 85. How could I possibly owe $4,000 to the IRS?” So, just take a breath and stop and think."

According to law enforcement officials, the biggest red flag of all may be the payment.

Amy Kempe says, "No legitimate government agency is going to ask for a prepaid debit card over the telephone." David Rybicki agreed saying,  "Government agencies will never demand that you load money onto prepaid cards or retail store cards." 

Amy Kempe, Spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, and David Rybiki, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division said government agencies simply don’t operate like that.

If it is a real government agency, Rybicki said you should be able to take a name and give the agency a call back without any hassle.

And here’s another tip, if you don’t know the number, don’t pick up the phone.

Copyright 2021 The Public's Radio. To see more, visit The Public's Radio.