The Illinois State Police is warning the public of phone scammers who are impersonating state police special agents in an attempt to obtain personal and financial information.
The Illinois State Police (ISP) said in an announcement Thursday that they learned of a new phone scam.
ISP received several phone calls this week from individuals reporting a person had claimed to be an ISP investigator and told them their identity had been stolen.
ISP special agents do not make cold calls requesting personal or financial information.
Anyone who receives a phone call from someone claiming to be an ISP investigator should ask for the caller’s name, badge number and phone number and then hang up.
“Never provide or confirm personal or financial information over the phone to an unknown caller,” state police said.
Those who wish to verify if a caller is an ISP special agent can do so by contacting one of the seven investigative regions throughout the state, which can be found on the ISP website.
Anyone who provided personal or financial information to a caller or thinks someone may have stolen their identifying information is recommended to put a free freeze on their credit to prevent someone from opening credit in their name.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office also provides an identity theft hotline at 866-999-5630.