Police warn residents about spam caller claiming to be part of fake government office

Monongalia County residents  received phone calls claiming their Social Security Numbers were discontinued or erased.
Mon County Sheriff Perry Palmer said his department  received at least three calls from people who got those calls, but  no one he knows of fell for the scam.
The caller claims to be from the Auditor General’s Office, which is not a real office in West Virginia.
With tax season approaching, people get nervous when the IRS or their Social Security Numbers are brought up, and scammers try to take advantage of that, Palmer said. If you receive such a call, do not give out any personal information over the phone, he said.
Government organizations handle business through certified mail and if in doubt, hang up and call the organization’s listed number, Palmer said.
Many scammers use computers, which spoof local numbers and autodial hundreds of numbers. Scammers frequently request their victims put money on a pre-paid credit card and call back with the number — a sure sign of a scam and something a government agency doesn’t do.
Unwanted calls are the top  complaint received by the Federal Communications Commission, according to its website.
Palmer said people who receive  similar calls should contact  a local law enforcement agency. Suspected phone scams should be reported to the Federal Communications Commission at 888-CALL-FCC.