The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has issued a warning about phone scams involving individuals who falsely claim to represent the Department of Justice. These scams often target people on immigration-related issues, such as visa status, and sometimes include threats if the caller's demands are not met.
According to officials, scammers may ask for personal information, including addresses or current locations. They use tactics like spoofing their phone numbers so that calls appear to originate from legitimate government agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The office clarified its procedures in a statement: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will never: Direct you to tell us exactly where you are at any given moment; Ask you to provide information relating to your immigration status; or Threaten you or tell you there are ‘consequences’ if you do not speak to us or comply with any demands.”
Officials also stated that they would never demand payment of any kind—such as gift cards—or request credit card numbers. Such requests should be considered signs of fraudulent activity.
Anyone contacted by someone claiming to be from the U.S. Attorney’s Office is advised to hang up and call the office directly at 315-448-0672 to confirm whether the call was legitimate. While scammers can spoof this number when calling out, they cannot receive incoming calls on it.
Suspected scam calls can also be reported through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/.
