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You may already be aware of the terms “telephone phishing” or “caller id spoofing,” but this scam has details that are specific to the Borough of Haworth. Please continue reading, share, and PRINT ESPECIALLY for friends and family who are not tech-savy.

It has been reported to the Haworth Police Department that a resident of a neighboring town recently received a suspicious telephone call on their home telephone, in which the caller ID listed “BOROUGH HAWORTH” along with a telephone number associated with the Haworth Police Department.

Luckily the recipient of the call immediately recognized it as suspicious when the caller started asking her questions about her credit card. Please be reminded, DO NOT BLINDLY TRUST YOUR CALLER ID. The technology, although convenient in most cases, can EASILY be “spoofed” to appear like the call is coming from someone or somewhere that it is not.

When in doubt, hang up and dial the known telephone number of the organization yourself that you seek to contact. DO NOT provide personal information to people over the phone unless YOU called THEM. If the call is truly legitimate, they should understand your concern and reasoning for wanting to call back to a telephone number that you KNOW is accurate from a legitimate source, such as a bill or website.