Police warning Marquette County residents of phone scam

MARQUETTE COUNTY — The Michigan State Police Negaunee Post is warning residents of a new phone solicitation scheme targeting Marquette County residents.

Callers say they are members of the MSP and ask for money or other personal information. They are using scammer software that makes the caller ID number look like it is an actual call from the State Police. At least three residents have reported these types of calls as of Thursday morning.

Law enforcement will never call and ask for money, bank account information or other personal information such as your social security number. Scammers usually give the victim a sense of urgency, pretending to be an official of a legitimate organization to fool the victim into providing sensitive information.

To avoid becoming a victim of a scam:

• Do not give personal information to unknown callers.
• Do not respond to unsolicited email from unknown senders.
• Confirm the identity of a contact by speaking with the identified source, like your bank, credit card company, or government agency.
• Ask for a call-back name and number and use a reliable source to confirm the phone number or email.
• Report any suspicious contacts to police.