FBI Warns Texas Public Of Spoofing Scam Centered On Fraudsters Trying To Collect Debts

DALLAS, TX — The FBI Dallas Division is warning the public of a telephone fraud scam in Texas that displays an an FBI phone number on the caller ID — a technique called "spoofing" — followed by a scammer who impersonates a government official demanding payment of money owed to the government.

In some cases, university students are targeted to and falsely told they owe delinquent student loan fees.

"Recently, the FBI has received reports of a wave of phone scam attempts targeting citizens in Texas, the FBI said in a prepared statement. "Callers with foreign accents identify themselves as FBI agents, IRS agents, or other government officials and request immediate payment of unpaid taxes, delinquent fees, or other debt to the government."

The caller often knows pertinent information about the people being called, including their name, background, and personal cell phone number of the intended victim. The originating number used by the callers is masked as the phone number for the FBI’s local office in Wichita Falls, Texas: (940) 766-4441.

"The public is reminded the FBI, the IRS, and other law enforcement and government officials do not call private citizens requesting money," FBI officials said. "Such phone calls are fraudulent. Call recipients should hang up immediately and notify law enforcement."

The FBI strongly encourages anyone contacted by a caller who claims to work with the FBI to verify the information with the Dallas FBI Field Office by calling (972) 559-5000. Contact information for other FBI field offices can be found at www.fbi.gov.
Individuals who have fallen victim to this type of scam are encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is accessible by clicking here.

This is the second scam wave targeting Texas residents. In February 2016, University of Texas at Austinstudents were targeted by a similar scam perpetrated by scam artists who secured data from student directories. In that scam, people pretending to be university officials demanded repayment of student debts.

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