Clemson City Police warning of Phone Scams

In the past several weeks, the City of Clemson has seen a rise in the number of phone scams being reported. The victims in these incidents have predominately been foreign students or foreign citizens living here. The last few involved a suspect calling claiming to be from Immigration Customs Enforcement and threatening deportation if the victim does not immediately wire them a large amount of money. This is a scam. To date the suspects in these cases have been traced all over the United States, and in some instances outside the country. The Clemson City Police Department reminds residents that no federal, state, or local government office is going to call and demand payment in lieu of civil or criminal action. None of these government offices will ask you to make the payments via Western Union, Moneygram, or Walmart to Walmart transfer. None of these government offices will direct you to make payment via Greendot cards or any other type of temporary credit or gift card. Any government office that calls you will already have all of the personal information they need, so do not provide your Social Security numbers, bank account information, or any other financial institution information over the phone. If you receive a call like this, attempt to get contact information for the caller and advise them that you will be contacting the local authorities before proceeding. No legitimate government office will penalize you for exercising your own due diligence. Do not send money via Western Union, Moneygram, or any other transfer system without knowing the person receiving the money. Other reported scams have included fraudulent responses to Craigslist Advertisements, suspects pretending to be Duke Power employees, and suspects pretending to be computer “help desk” employees. Contact local law enforcement if you feel that you have been the victim of one of these scams, and take the time to verify anyone calling to demand payment over the phone.