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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine
Officials Warn
of Government Imposter Scams
(CINCINNATI, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Hamilton
County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters today warned that scam artists are
posing as government and law enforcement officials demanding that
consumers pay money immediately. In Hamilton County, a consumer
recently reported that her debit card was charged nearly $400 in the
scam.
“Scam artists often pretend to represent the government in order to
make their ploys seem more convincing,” said Attorney General DeWine.
“In some cases, con artists make phony, threatening debt collection
calls pretending to be BCI agents or other Attorney General
representatives. We want to make sure Ohioans know that these calls are
outright scams. Legitimate government offices will not threaten you
demanding that you pay a debt.”
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters commented, “The scammers
are always thinking of new ways to scam unsuspecting people.
Anyone receiving a telephone call requesting money or personal
information should be very cautious and verify the call before
complying. The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office would never
call anyone demanding money.”
Since the beginning of June, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has
received more than 20 reports of “imposter” scam calls, where callers
pretend to represent the Ohio Attorney General’s Office or another
attorney’s office. In most cases, consumers do not report losing money
or providing personal information in response to the calls.
However, the scams can be persuasive and some consumers do lose money.
Earlier this week, a consumer received a call from someone who claimed
to be “Lisa Rider” with the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. (No
one by that name currently works at the Prosecutor’s Office.) “Lisa”
told the consumer that she owed $386.80 as a partial payment for a debt
that she owed and if she did not pay immediately the police would come
to her house and arrest her. The consumer gave the caller her debit
card information before becoming suspicious. When the consumer called
the phone numbers that “Lisa” had provided, they all sounded as if they
were answered by the same person.
Scammers may “spoof” or alter the number that appears on a consumer’s
caller ID to make it appear to be a local call.
Consumers who receive calls demanding that they pay a debt should
request written information about the debt. If the caller refuses to
provide written information, it is most likely a scam.
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 also can report
potential scams to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
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