Arlington Health Department Number Spoofed By Phone Scammers

ARLINGTON, MA – Arlington Health and Human Services and the Arlington Police Department are warning residents of a phone scam in which the caller is capable of spoofing the HHS phone number. Residents have reported that someone calling from 781-316-3170 is asking for personal information like health insurance and social security numbers.

The Health and Human Services Department will never randomly call residents to ask for health insurance information, social security numbers or financial information. If you are suspicious of the caller, hang up immediately and call the Health and Human Services Department directly.

Arlington Health and Human Services Director Christine Bongiorno and Police Chief Frederick Ryan urge residents to never give personal information to people who call their homes or cell phones unsolicited.

"The Health and Human Services Department will never call and ask residents to give personal information over the phone," Bongiorno said in a statement. "If you believe you may have been a victim of this type of scam or if you receive this type of call, please report it to police immediately."

Other common telephones scams that target residents include:

• IRS Impostors: Callers contact you demanding immediate payment for back taxes.
• Arrested Relative: Scammers contact you claiming that a friend or relative has been arrested and needs bail money.
• Kidnapped Relative: Scammers call to report a friend or relative has been kidnapped and a ransom must be paid.
• Threatened Arrest: Scammers call to tell you that you are subject to arrest (by a variety of different agencies: U.S. Marshals, FBI, etc.) and must pay to avoid arrest.
• Utility Scam: Scammers pose as bill collectors from utility companies and threaten to shut off service if you do not pay.
• Sweepstakes: Someone calls to notify you that you have won a contest or sweepstakes and must send money to collect any winnings.
• Tech Support/Malware: Someone contacts you claiming your computer needs repairs and to send money for service or asks to connect to your computer. Additionally, a pop-up can appear on your computer, stating that it is infected with malware, and to call a number to pay to remove the virus.

In many of these calls, the scammer demands payment via electronic money order or pre-paid debit card. This should be an immediate red flag. No legitimate vendor will ever demand money via these means. Sending money via money order, or pre-paid debit card is as good as sending cash, and if money is sent to a criminal, it is gone forever and cannot be recovered.

"We are reminding residents to never give out any personal information out over the phone," Ryan said in a statement. "No matter how convincing these scammers may seem, if you receive a call from someone asking for your information or demanding money, hang up and call police."

Call Arlington Police at 781-643-1212 with questions or to report a scam.

Image via Shutterstock