Scammers Imitating Washington State Patrol Phone Numbers to Get Personal Information

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Washington State Patrol is warning people to take caution with phone calls that appear to come from the patrol and ask for personal information.

Scammers have spoofed a "handful" of WSP-associated phone numbers and are using them to trick people into believing they are calling as a patrol officer, according to a news release from Kelsey Harding, WSP public information officer.

The numbers were illegally obtained and used for fraudulent purposes, according to law enforcement.

"The scammers call and identify themselves as an officer, trooper or detective from WSP and tell the unsuspecting citizen their ID was used and is connected to a crime being investigated in another state or country. They then seek actual personal information for 'verification,'" the release said.



When scammers are questioned during these calls, they tell people to Google the number, which appears to prove it is a WSP phone number. They have also provided citizens with fake case numbers.

This type of spoofing is commonly used by scammers to make it seem like they are calling locally by spoofing a regional phone number while calling from another city, state or even another country. Because these scams often start overseas, they are particularly difficult to investigate, the release said.

Washington State Patrol says it will never seek personal information over the phone. Anyone who receives such a call should contact 911.