HSI Houston warns public to beware of imposters spoofing legitimate law enforcement phone numbers

HOUSTON – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston is warning the public to beware of scammers spoofing legitimate law enforcement phone numbers and impersonating HSI special agents or other federal, state and local law enforcement personnel.

In recent months, HSI Houston has seen a significant increase in scammers using this tactic to make their phone number appear to be from a legitimate source in order to collect sensitive information from the public that can then be used to commit financial fraud or identity theft.

One of the more prevalent themes used by the scammers is to claim that the person being called, or a family member, has an outstanding issue or violation that could result in arrest and that in order to “resolve” the issue the person needs to make a payment or provide financial or other sensitive information. However, claims like these are always a scam as law enforcement will never contact members of the public over the phone demanding payment to avoid arrest.

HSI Houston urges anyone who receives a suspicious phone call that they believe may be “spoofed” or a scam to remember the following tips to avoid becoming a victim:

• Never share personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unsolicited phone calls.
• Avoid answering unknown phone calls and don’t return calls from numbers you can’t identify. If the call is important, they’ll leave a message.
• If someone calls you claiming to be from a law enforcement agency and you aren’t sure whether it is a scam, hang up and follow up with the law enforcement agency at their official phone number found on their webpage.
• Resist the urge to act impulsively or respond to pressure over the phone. Scammers in these situations often rely on a ruse that attempts to make you act impulsively out of self-preservation or to protect a loved one.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this scam is urged to call the HSI tipline at 1-866-347-2423 or complete the online tip form. All information is kept confidential.

For additional news and information on how HSI Houston is keeping South Texas safe from financial fraud and other scams follow us on Twitter at @HSIHouston.