Secretary Of State Urges Michiganders To Beware Of Phishing Phone Calls

LANSING (WWJ) - The Michigan Secretary of State's office is warning residents about phishing phone calls in which people are posing as state workers.

In some recent cases, the scammers — claiming to be from a business or government office — have been using what is known as "caller ID spoofing" so the ID displays the valid number of a Secretary of State office or another state agency.

In one instance a caller said he was from the Alpena Secretary of State office, and that's what showed up on the caller ID.  The customer hung up the phone and called the SOS to verify whether the call was legitimate.

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson says that's the right thing to do.

"Although alarming as this activity is, there are steps Michigan residents can take to protect themselves," Johnson said, in a media release. "Any legitimate agency welcomes the chance to verify whether a contact, either in person or by phone, was appropriate."

Johnson urges customers to take care when giving out information to anyone they do not know personally and never give out credit card or social security information over the phone.

Johnson says the SOS office will never call and ask for PINs, passwords or access to your bank account or credit card numbers, threaten to suspend your driver's license or vehicle registration if you refuse to divulge personal or financial information, or demand immediate payment to resolve a problem.

If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of the caller's claim to be a Secretary of State employee, hang up and call the Department of State Information Center at 888-767-6424.

To file a compaint about a phishing call with the FCC, visit this link or 1-888-CALL-FCC (225-5322); TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (835-5322); ASL Videophone: 1-844-432-2275.

You can also send a complaint by mail (include your name, address, contact information and as much detail about your complaint as possible) to the Federal Communications Commission; Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau; Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division; 445 12th Street, S.W.; Washington, DC 20554.