Phone scammers impersonating Indiana State Police

(WNDU) - Indiana State Police say they have received several concerns from citizens reporting an apparent phone scam involving the phone number for ISP’s general headquarters.

Police say the scammer is using a Caller ID showing “Indiana State Police” with “317-232-8248.” The scammer then identifies him/herself as an Indiana State Police Trooper and tells them they have drug charges pending in Texas. The scammer then threatens the citizen with arrest if a payment is not made.

Indiana State Police want to remind you that they would NEVER call and ask for or demand any sort of payment for any reason whatsoever.

ISP says phone scammers are persuasive, convincing, and technically savvy. They will often play on your emotions and fears to get your personal information and money. Therefore, you should never give out personal information such as date of birth, social security number, or bank/credit card numbers because transactions made by prepaid card or wire transfer are nearly impossible to recover once sent.

Police say 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 like 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 so the payment can be stopped.