State Police have warned New Jersey citizens of a recent series of fraudulent phone calls requesting Social Security numbers.

The caller poses as a State Trooper and the incoming call comes up as the legitimate phone number, 609-452-2601, for the New Jersey State Police Transportation Safety Bureau office, say police.

During the "spoof calls," a man with a foreign accent will attempt to frighten the person being called, by claiming that his or her Social Security number is associated with multiple complaints received by officers.

The caller also will have the full name and address of the victim being called and will claim that police documents have been mailed to the residence multiple times without receiving any response. They will request further verification of identity, specifically a Social Security number.

The appearance of a real, local phone number is a result of "spoofing technology" which allows a person to have a fake number appear on the caller ID, while placing the call from another state or country, said State Police.

State Police stress they "will never call you requesting personal information like your Social Security number or your date of birth."

If you receive a suspicious call, hang up the phone and do not provide any personal information, said officers.

They also said to immediately call the "local police department or State Police Station that services your area to report the incident."

Police also said they will "never threaten citizens with arrest if personal information or money is not provided."

It's the latest in a recent string of phone scams reported in New Jersey. Last month, both the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office and Ocean County Sheriff's Office warned residents of similar spoof calls, that were attempts at getting victims to deposit thousands of dollars.

 

More From 94.3 The Point