LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Following the warning of a new cell phone banking scam, Attorney General Dana Nessel is warning of another phone scam circulating in Michigan.
According to Nessel’s office, multiple complaints have been filed from residents who have been contacted by scammers pretending to be MDHHS employees in Kalamazoo County.
They are asking for personal information that could be used to steal identities.
Similar to the previously reported banking scam, the scammers often use a practice known as “spoofing,” which allows phone calls to appear as if they are coming from real department phone numbers.
Nessel says that the best way to avoid getting scammed is to hang up the call.
“If you are ever asked by an unsolicited caller to give out personal information, don’t do it,” Nessel said. “Hang up the phone immediately and report anything that you suspect might be a scam to our office.”
In the past several months, similar reports of scammers posing as public health officials have been filed by residents in Bay, Jackson, Livingston, Monroe and Washtenaw counties.
“MDHHS does not call clients and ask for detailed personal information over the phone,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said. “At most a department caseworker would ask for a date of birth or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you have any doubts, ask to call the worker back and use the local office switchboard to connect.”
The Michigan State Police is providing the following tips to avoid becoming a scam victim:
- Never give personal information to an unknown caller;
- Do not respond to unsolicited emails from an unknown sender;
- Confirm the identity of a contact by independently speaking with the identified source (your bank, credit card company, government agency, etc.);
- Use a reliable source to confirm the contact’s phone number or email; and
- Report any suspicious contacts to police.
Reports about scam calls can be filed by contacting the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. A complaint can be filed online or by calling 877-765-8388.
