COLUMBUS, OH (FOX19) -
Ohio Attorney
General Mike DeWine kicked off National Consumer Protection Week in Ohio
with a warning about scammers posing as employees of his office to trick
consumers into providing personal information and payment for bogus debts.
From
Jan. 1-Feb. 20, of this year, the Attorney General's Office has received about
a dozen reports of scammers pretending to be from the Attorney General's Office
and/or the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
"Consumers are reporting phony debt collection calls from alleged BCI
agents or other law enforcement officials within the Attorney General's
Office," said DeWine. "My office works hard to protect Ohioans from
fraud, and we want to make sure Ohioans know that these calls are outright
scams. No one from my office will threaten you demanding you pay a debt."
Although the scam is not new,
the Attorney General's Office has noticed an increase in reports about this
scam over the last few months.
Consumers can't rely on caller
ID because scammers can use technology to display a number that may appear
official.
Anyone who receives a call asking for personal or financial
information should hang up and call a number known to be legitimate, such as
the Attorney General's Help Center, 800-282-0515.
Consumers can call the Attorney
General's Office, or visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov, for more information about how the
Identity Theft Unit can assist victims, as well as learn about other scams
consumers face.
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