Scam Caller Targets Cleveland Heights Residents

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Police are warning residents to be skeptical of any calls requesting personal information. A resident was recently contacted by someone claiming to be from the Cleveland Heights Utilities Department, but the call was part of a possible call spoofing scam.

Caller ID spoofing takes place when a cell phone is tricked into disguising the identity of the caller. In the case of the resident, the phone's caller ID read "City of Cleveland Heights." This spoofing tactic is often used to trick someone into giving away their personal information.

Luckily, in the case of the contacted resident, she became suspicious of the call and contacted the city. Officials told her they had not reached out to her.

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To help protect residents from further scam attempts, police shared a series of tips online:

Don't answer calls from unknown numbers. However if you do and you become suspicious about the caller, hang up immediately.

Never give out personal information, especially your social security number, account numbers, mother's maiden name, or passwords if you receive an unexpected call or are unsure who is really calling you or you are at all suspicious.

If you receive a call from a company or government agency that is asking a lot of questions and you are unsure if it is legitimate, hang up and call them back using the phone number listed on your account statement, in the phone book or on their website.

Use caution if you are being pressured to provide information immediately as this is usually sign that the call is fraudulent.

Officials added that if a resident believes they have been the victim of a scam, they should contact the police department immediately and document the incident.