Attorney General: increase in scam, claiming to be legal authorities

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- In the last week, the Attorney General’s office has received 20 complaints of scammers impersonating the OAG or other legal authorities.

The OAG said the scammers are trying to obtain money or personal and financial information from consumers. They remain anonymous by altering the caller identification, so it appears as if the call is coming from the OAG fraud hotline or legal authorities, like 911.

According to the complaints, the phone calls often included below comments.

· There is an outstanding debt or old payday loan;
· The person is under investigation for passing worthless or fraudulent checks;
· There is a warrant for their arrest or an unpaid ticket or fine;
· There is money waiting for them, but they must pay taxes before claiming it.
· Threaten consumers with an arrest or legal action if they do not immediately wire money or provide a prepaid debit card; or
· Threaten consumers with liens and wage garnishments.

Officials said if a caller claims they are with the OAG and makes threats or demands money, that person is an imposter.

If you receive a call like this, contact the OAG at 1-888-9-NO-SCAM or by clicking here. You should also report all suspicious phone calls to the Federal Trade Commission.