Alert: Beware of New Phone Scam Hitting New Yorkers

If there is one thing you can count on happening in the United States, it is that someone is always trying to run a scam on people. It doesn't matter if it's members of the military or a veteran, people looking for baby formula, or Homeowners in the Empire State; scammers are going to try to find a way to scam and often don't care who they hurt.

That's one of the reasons why U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Trade Commission are warning about a scam that may hit New Yorkers a little harder than people in other areas.

According to a notice on the CPB website, scammers are calling people all around the nation, claiming to be U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, and are advising that there is a warrant for their arrest.

Residents are reporting calls with a pre-recorded message stating, “a box of drugs and money being shipped has your name on it and has been intercepted.
-U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Once the hook is in, the scammer requests financial and banking information, along with personal details like Social Security Numbers, or they instruct the person to buy Bitcoin in order to avoid arrest.

These scams have been around for a while, but New Yorkers need to be especially vigilant considering our proximity to the International Border and the fact that it's not unusual to see U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers just driving around town.

To combat these sorts of scams, the Federal Trade Commission offers all sorts of tips to make sure you don't fall victim to scammers. One of those tips is always to remember that U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will never call, email, or text anyone to demand money or personal information, and CPB does not make unsolicited calls about potential drug shipments, debts, or other issues like that.

If you think you've been scammed or someone is trying to scam you, please report it to the FTC here.

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Gallery Credit: Mary K

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Merciless phone scammers are targeting unaware folks with schemes involving pleas for charity, car warranties, unpaid traffic tickets, you name it. The Federal Trade Commission says, "Scammers often ask you to pay in ways that make it tough to get your money back. No matter what payment method you used to pay, the sooner you act, the better."

If you have paid one of these scammers and then realize you have been scammed, here are 8 tips from the Federal Trade Commission, on what to do if you have paid a scammer.

Gallery Credit: Brad Carpenter/Federal Trade Commission/Canva

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Filed Under: Buffalo Buzz, cell phone scam, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, phone scam, Phone Scam Warning

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