Beware, Healdsburg, Of Latest Telephone Scam

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has learned of a circulating scam attempt to steal personal information by calling Californians from a blocked number and pretending to be a DMV employee offering to reschedule appointments.

The DMV reminds customers that it does not call or email asking for personal information and anyone who receives such inquiries should consider them to be a scam.

These corrupt individuals ask for personal information such as Social Security number, date of birth, home address, and driver license number.

“DMV employees do not call customers to ask for personal or confidential information, such as social security numbers, and anyone who receives such a call should know it is a scam to steal your identity,” said DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. “Californians can protect themselves against these crimes by never providing personal information to telephone callers claiming to be a DMV representative.”

Californians can report scams involving someone pretending to work for the DMV by filing a complaint with DMV Investigations Division fraud hotline at 1-866-658-5758, or by e-mail to dlfraud@dmv.ca.gov, or mail a record of complaint form. Such scams should also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Anyone who is a victim of identity theft should take the following steps as soon as possible:

1. Notify the three credit bureaus--Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union--that you are the victim of identity theft and request a fraud alert or credit freeze.
2. Obtain your free credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228 and report any incorrect information.
3. Create an Identity Theft Report by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission:http://www.ftc.gov/complaint
4. File a police report with your local law enforcement agency and get a copy of that report.
5. Review all financial statement such as credit card bills and bank statements and report any false information to your financial institution.

For more information on how to guard against identity theft, including steps to take if you believe you are a victim of identity theft visit: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/protecting-your-identity

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