South Carolina New Scam Warning People To Stop Falling For This Trick
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a public warning about a widespread scam involving fraudsters impersonating DEA agents to extort money or steal personally identifiable information.
Who Is Being Targeted?
According to the DEA, members of the public and medical practitioners have been targeted by these scams, with criminals demanding money or personal details over the phone. However, the agency emphasized that DEA personnel will never contact the public or medical professionals demanding any form of payment or requesting personal information.
They added that people would only be informed about legitimate investigations or legal actions either in person or via an official letter. Additionally, they clarified that no genuine federal law enforcement officer would ever request cash or gift cards from a member of the public.
What Does The DEA Do Exactly?
The DEA is America's resolute force fighting against the illegal drug trade. DEA Special Agents pursue the most notorious trafficking and narco-terrorist organizations that threaten our country.
The DEA Mission Statement:
The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.
What To Do If I Get A Scam Call?
The DEA advises anyone receiving a call from an individual purporting to be from the DEA to report the incident immediately to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at www.ic3.gov.
In addition, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a helpful resource, providing recovery steps and sharing information with over 3,000 law enforcement agencies. The public can report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
For those who may have fallen victim to this scam, the DEA suggests learning about identity theft protection. If a person has divulged sensitive personal information, such as their social security number, to the scammers, they can learn how to protect against further misuse at www.identitytheft.gov.
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