CBP warns residents of phone scam/caller impersonating officers/agents

A new type of telephone scam is targeting residents nationwide in an attempt to gain banking information from unsuspecting residents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers nationwide are continuing to receive numerous calls from residents concerned about unsolicited calls from scammers posing as U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. Residents are reporting the calls are a prerecorded message stating, “a box of drugs and money being shipped has your (the caller’s) name on it and it has been intercepted.” The caller is then instructed to press #1 to speak with a CBP officer/agent, which then attempts to get the caller’s banking information.

These calls are phone scams/phishing attempts and residents are urged to not provide the caller with any information. The Department of Homeland Security and CBP does not solicit money over the phone. If such calls are received, people should make a note of the number and any other pertinent details about the call and immediately hang up, and report the incident if possible. Phone scams can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission online at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

Follow on Twitter for the most up-to-date information: @CBPBuffalo @DFOBuffalo @USBPDepChiefBUN.