Calls Posing As Maryland State Police Made Nationwide

PIKESVILLE, MD — Residents from Hawaii to Texas on Thursday reported receiving calls from Maryland State Police; the agency says it's a prank with the callers hijacking the department's actual phone number. After receiving multiple calls from people as far away as Hawaii, Maryland State Police investigators alerted the public that someone is apparently using a web-based service to make calls throughout the country that appear as if they are from the State Police Criminal Enforcement Division.

Some people reported they received an automated message informing them that an “internet crime has been committed” and they were told to contact the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division at 410-953-8200. Others reported that when they answered the phone, there was only silence, while the number on their caller ID displayed 410-953-8200.

While that number is the actual phone number for Maryland State Police, officers are not making those calls. Anyone who receives such a phone call should hang up and ignore the instructions, authorities said.

The use of a legitimate police office number is known as "spoofing"and enables the caller to disguise his true identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally. U.S. law and FCC rules prohibit most types of spoofing.

Recipients of the calls who then contacted Maryland State Police Thursday have been from Hawaii, Texas, New York and Maryland. There is no apparent connection to extortion or theft, but the calls do cause unneeded concern and inconvenience for the victims and for police, the agency said in a news release.

Image courtesy of Maryland State Police