Beware ‘spoofed’ phone calls that appear to be from the city

City leaders report several residents have called City Hall to say they have been targeted by “spoofing” scams, where residents receive phone calls that their Caller ID indicates is coming from the city of Independence. But when they answer, it is obvious that the caller was not a city staffer.

Scammers spoof a phone number by forging Caller ID information to make it appear that the call is coming from a government agency, business, creditor, or even someone the resident knows, to trick them into answering. The scammer’s goal is to obtain credit card numbers, passwords, mothers’ maiden names and other personal information to commit identity theft. Some tactics that can be used is to tell people their Social Security number will expire, their utilities are about to be shut off, or that there is a problem with their Medicare coverage.

The city reminds residents to never give out personal information over the phone, especially if the person calling starts to pressure them. If any resident gets a suspicious call, hang up. When a city employee calls a resident, or a SwiftReach Alert goes out, the calls appear as city of Independence on the Caller ID, and the caller will immediately identify themselves.

Report any suspicious calls to the Independence Police and to the Federal Trade Commission through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.