The Indiana State Police has received several concerns from citizens reporting an apparent phone scam. ISP receives numerous reports of phone scams each year, but this scam in particular involves using the ISP General Headquarters phone number. The scammer is using a caller ID showing “Indiana State Police” with the number “317-232-8248.” The scammer then identifies themselves as an Indiana State Police trooper and tells them their identity has been compromised or stolen. The scammer then asks for personal information to “verify” that the person they are speaking to is actually the one whose identity has been allegedly stolen.
The ISP does not cold call people and ask for personal or financial information and would like to remind all citizens that phone scammers are persuasive, convincing, and technically savvy. 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 as soon as possible. As a reminder, never give out personal information such as date of birth, social security number, or bank or credit card numbers.