HOUSTON – The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office is warning people about a new way scammers are trying to target cellphones.
Two employees of the Sheriff’s Office found notes on their cars on Wednesday, Sept. 19, that read, “Sorry I dinged your car…call me,” along with a 301 area code.
Deputies said the scam involves a telecommunications company using Voice over Internet Protocol phone service and computers to “spoof” callers in order to gain personal information.
"Most people, very few people it seem to have a landline anymore, so they target the cellphone,” said Lt. Varon Snelgrove with Brazoria County Sheriff's Office. “Some actually pull data from your cellphone, and some might ask specific questions. (They) may ask you to key in information, and what they're doing is they're pulling data from your cellphone.”
According to police, the FBI is also aware of the scam.
People are being advised to not call the number from their cellphones if they find a note on their car.