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Robocalls: What are Government Scams?

A call made by someone who is posing to be a government agency in order to obtain sensitive and private information from the receiver is called a "government scam". This call consists of someone saying the call receiver is in trouble with a government agency so they must give their social security or bank account information. A very common government scam is where the caller poses as an employee of the IRS, and they claim the person receiving the call committed tax fraud and is wanted by the police. The callers can be very convincing, as they will have your full legal name and even your address. However, they are not to be trusted. Other common calls are from people posing as a police officer or sheriff, claiming there is a warrant for your arrest. Others could be pretending to be from the Social Security Administration or the FBI. If you ever receive one of these calls, it is best to just hang up, and never give them any of your information. If you are worried it truly was the government agency, simply hang up and call their legitimate number to confirm it was not them trying to get ahold of you. Keep in mind, no government agency will request your social security number or banking information over the phone if you truly are under investigation.