Massachusetts State Police Warn of Identity Theft Scam

Massachusetts State Police have issued a warning about a new identity theft scam.  The ironic part is that someone has stolen their identity to scam you.

We've all received those annoying robocalls on our cell phones. "I'm glad I caught you," says the ridiculous recorded announcement. "I have some very important information about your car's warranty."

It happens so much now, it's almost a universal joke that everyone can shrug our shoulders at and laugh. It got to the point where your phone will recognize the call as "SPAM" and mark it as such.

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Eventually, however, the spammers somehow figured out a way to change the incoming caller ID to a local number. Sometimes, it is so sophisticated that the spammers are able to change the caller ID to a local business or organization that you might recognize.

We've even had people report to us that they've excitedly answered their phones, hoping they were going to win something like New Kids on the Block backstage passes, only to find out it was another warranty call. In these cases, the calls tend to be annoying, but not predatory.

According to the Mass State Police, however, there's a new trick that is being used that has taken it to the next level. People are reporting that they are receiving calls showing that they are coming from the Mass State Police. The calls then try to trick the unsuspecting people into giving up critical personal information.

"The caller ID is being “spoofed” and the call is not legitimate," the Mass State Police report on their Facebook page. "Some callers are claiming to be members of the State Police looking for you regarding Identity Theft. Please be advised that these calls are fraudulent."

The state police added that they will never use the phone to conduct any type of fundraising and advise that you simply hang up on the calls without providing any information.