Cape police warn of new phone scams

Another telephone scam is making the rounds in Southeast Missouri.

In the past few days, police have received reports of someone from the 202 area code calling and trying to convince people to give out financial information, said Cpl. Darin Hickey of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

The scammers apparently are using men and women, usually with heavy accents, to make the calls, Hickey said.

In some of the calls, the caller claims to be with the Internal Revenue Service and says the recipient of the call owes the IRS money and must pay over the phone immediately or face arrest, Hickey said.

Other times, the caller tells recipients they have been awarded a $9,000 grant, which will be deposited into their bank account if they give the caller the number, Hickey said.

"Anytime you question them or anything like that, they get frustrated and hang up on you," he said.

Hickey said officers also have received reports recently about callers claiming to be a relative in need of money to bond out of jail or repair a car that has broken down.

"That's one that's kind of reared its ugly head again," he said.

Hickey recommends the following precautions to avoid being victimized by scams:

• Never give out personal information over the phone.
• If you believe your personal information has been compromised, obtain a copy of your credit report and check it for suspicious activity, such as accounts you did not open.
• If you believe you have lost money to a telephone scam, call law enforcement immediately.