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Delaware AG's office warns of increase in phone scams

Delaware Public Media

The Delaware attorney general's office is warning of a recent uptick in phone scams in the First State.

The AG's consumer protection unit says they've seen several scams where perpetrators ask people to wire money or send them a prepaid debit card.

Consumer protection unit assistant director Jill Remming says they've seen several different scams crop up in the past month:

 

"Someone was contacted and said that their loved one was in jail in Delaware and they needed to wire money to help out. And in another scam we saw, we saw someone getting calls from someone pretending to be a sheriff and they were going to be arrested if they didn't pay money for failing to report for jury duty," said Remming.

Another scam claims to come from the IRS, saying people owe money on their taxes.

"Oftentimes they may know something personal about you, like the fact that you had not reported for jury duty, or they were hoping that that would be true and could get someone to bite on that and wire money," said Remming.

Remming adds at least a dozen people have reported these scams in the past month, with some losing anywhere from $300 to $1400.

Similar calls have been reported in several states and are under federal investigation.

Remming advises people to be wary of callers who request wire transfers, no matter how urgent their story seems. She says folks should double-check these claims and keep an eye on caller ID so they can report any scammers they encounter.