Identity thieves seeking new ways to dupe victims into releasing data, money
Attorney General Kathleen Kane said one recent scam involves telephone callers’ seeking personal information to help residents obtain a nonexistent medical card.
Local and state authorities want residents to be wary about releasing personal information, which scam artists are constantly finding new ways to obtain.
Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane said in recent days, people across the country have received calls seeking personal information in order to obtain a “national medical card” from the government. No such card exists, she said in a news release.
“Do not ever give out personal, health care or bank account information over the phone, unless you initiated the call and you know who is on the other end,” said Kane.
Kane says if someone calls, offering to help you obtain this nonexistent national medical card, you should call the Attorney General’s Health Care Hotline at (877) 888-4877. Any information you can provide– such as the name, telephone number, or location of the caller– will be very helpful. To learn more about this (and other scams), visit the attorney general’s website at http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/.
Last week, a resident of Westtown Township called the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department to report a telephone scam, a news release said. The victim said that between March 26 and March 27 his family received telephone calls from two male individuals who reported that they were calling from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about not paying enough income tax to the Internal Revenue Service.
The first caller threatened that the victim would be arrested if he did not make payment immediately. The victim and his wife were directed to go and purchase Green Dot pre-paid debit cards, which they did, making four different Green Dot card purchases in the amount of $1,000; $4,365; $1,487; and $300 dollars and then providing the caller with the debit card account number, the release said.
This case is under investigation by police, who urge residents to use extreme caution when speaking with callers on the phone or by e-mail. Always verify emergency situations before sending money to someone and never provide banking information or personal information to anyone that you do not know, police said.
Reminds me of a similar scam reported at http://www.callercenter.com/866-234-2255.html where the scammer poses as a Medicare representative and promises a new ID card for the recipient. But don’t be fooled. It is merely a ploy for the recipient to disclose personal information.