Phone scammers use ISP caller ID to target residents with calls about bogus charges, fines

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Phone scammers are pretending to be the Indiana State Police to trick residents out of their money.

The Indiana State Police has received several reports from citizens reporting the scam, according to a release. In this ruse, callers pose as Indiana State Police and use caller ID "spoofing," where the caller ID displays "Indiana State Police" and a valid phone number of "317-232-8248."

The scammer then poses an Indiana State Police Trooper and tells residents they have drug charges pending in Texas and will be arrested if they don't send a payment immediately.

ISP officials remind residents that it does not call people to ask for any kind of payment for any reason whatsoever.

The easiest way to protect yourself from being scammed over the phone is to either ignore unsolicited calls from unknown callers or just hang up when something doesn’t seem right.

If you feel as though you have been a victim of a phone scam, immediately report the incident to your local law enforcement agency and alert your bank as soon as possible. Never give out any personal information, and remember: transactions made by prepaid card or wire transfer are nearly impossible to recover.