Benton County Sheriff’s Office warns of ‘sophisticated’ phone scam
BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is warning about a new “sophisticated” scam, according to a Facebook post.
BCSO says scammers are now using a deceptive tactic of by calling from a spoofed toll-free number associated with a financial institution.
The scam starts with a caller posing as a representative from a trusted financial institution. BCSO used Arkansas Federal Credit Union’s toll-free number as an example.
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The caller will offer to set up text alerts for fraud alert calls to create a false sense of legitimacy, according to the post.
The scammer then tells the caller a second phone call will be made to provide a verification code to authorize.
A recent incident that was reported by a member of the community gave these numbers:
Caller’s Number: 800-456-3000 (Spoofed Arkansas Federal Credit Union)
Second Call Number: 580-448-9159
BSCO says to be cautious of unexpected calls, even if it comes from seemingly trustworthy sources. They also say to never share financial or personal information unless you initiate the call and to verify the call by contacting the institution directly.
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