Eureka Police warn of more phone scams, say ‘little can be done on a local level’

EUREKA, Calif. (KIEM) – From the Eureka Police Department: 

The Eureka Police Department has received an increased number of complaints regarding
scam calls to cell phones and land lines. It appears scammers are using spoofing techniques to make it appear a local number is calling, often tricking people into actually answering.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), “Current technology makes it easy
for scammers to fake or “spoof” caller ID information, so the number you reported in
your complaint probably isn’t real. Without more information, it’s difficult for the FTC
and other law enforcement agencies to identify the actual caller.”

While scam calls are very annoying, there is little that can be done on a local level. Here
is what you can do and where you can report unwanted calls:
– Make sure to sign up all of your phone numbers with the FTC Do Not Call
Registry. It can take up to 31 days for your registration to become active
– Report unwanted calls to the FTC https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx
– If the call is specific to owing the IRS, make your report to the Treasury Inspector
General. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml
– This article provides numerous tips and ways to prevent unwanted scam calls.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/6/17071478/spam-calls-how-to-stop-blockrobocalls-robots-scam-iphone-android