MSP warns residents of recent phone scams

MARYLAND – Maryland State Police are warning residents of several recent phone scams circulating through the state, some involving cloned state police numbers.

Police say the most recent scam involved a woman who had received a call in which her caller ID stated “Maryland State Government” along with the number 301-475-8955, which is the number for the MSP Leonardtown Barrack. The victim said the caller told her that she was a suspect in a drug trafficking investigation and that she needed to provide them with several bits of identifying information, including her social security number.

The Salisbury Barrack is reporting that some of the scams they have been made aware of include victims being threatened with arrest or the continued detention of family members if they do not provide the caller with money, account numbers, or purchase re-loadable gift or credit cards.

Officials say another scam includes the victim receiving a call from a representative of the IRS and threatened similarly. Other victims have reportedly had their computers infected with a computer virus and were prompted to take immediate action, including purchasing up to $2,000 in gift cards to pay the company to fix the problem.

The MSP Cumberland Barrack has also received numerous phone calls about a scam in which a person claiming to be from the Social Security Administration requested information from the victim and threatened to have the police arrest them if they didn’t provide the info.

Police are urging senior citizens or those that have a family member that is a senior citizen to please be aware of the scare tactics these scammers are using so that they do not fall victim to them. Citizens are also reminded that Maryland State Police and other government agencies would never solicit information or services over the phone.

Anyone who receives a phone call similar to those described above should hang up and immediately contact their local state police department.