New phone scam targets college students

ATLANTA, Ga. (WDEF) — Across the country, scammers have taken a new approach.

FBI Atlanta says scammers are spoofing law enforcement officers. Specifically at colleges and universities in Georgia.

They are using the names, positions, phone numbers and addresses of real officers.

Scammers are calling parents and guardians of college students, claiming the student has gotten in trouble.

They are often asking parents to pay the students’ bond over the phone.

FBI Atlanta says law enforcement will never call anyone asking for money.

“In general, it’s just a good rule of thumb that you shouldn’t be sending money over the phone to anybody that you’ve never met in person,” said FBI Atlanta Public Affairs Specialist, Jenna Sellitto. “You know, using Venmo, CashApp, Zelle, you can’t get that money back usually once it’s sent. So, you need to be very careful and verify who you’re sending that money to.”

FBI also says to never answer phone calls from numbers you don’t recognize to avoid getting these kinds of calls. If a caller is someone you know, they can leave a message.

If you do get called by one of these scammers, report it to IC3.gov.