GRAND RAPIDS..MICH — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is alerting the public about a new phone scam that has been targeting both civilians and medical professionals.
According to Brian McNeil, Public Information Officer for the DEA, scammers are posing as federal agents and contacting people with false stories, such as a car rented in the victim's name being found with drugs in Texas. The scammers then threaten the victims with jail time or deportation unless they pay money.
"What will happen is people will receive a call saying that there's been a car rented in their name, or some other crazy story," McNeil said.
The scammers have been targeting the older population, as well as medical professionals, using DEA registration numbers to add credibility to their claims.
"Unfortunately, it's the older population that really these guys target," McNeil said. "They will get that registration number through some, you know, some means, and they'll call a doctor and say that your registration number was used in some illegal manner over over-prescribing or something along those lines."
One victim, a Canadian citizen married to an American and working legally, was scammed out of $4,000 after being threatened with deportation.
Gladys Moore, an office manager in Troy, Michigan, also reported receiving calls from the scammers, targeting different medical providers in her office.
The DEA has provided Fox 17 News with a recorded call from one of the scammers, where they can be heard threatening the victim and claiming that the DEA will help them get their money back if they send the "officer" the necessary information.
The DEA wants to make it clear that no federal law enforcement entity will call demanding money or personal information if they are launching an investigation. Any official communication will be done in person or through an official letter.
For more information on how to report scams like these, please visit the links provided below:
www.ic3.gov
www.reportfraud.ftc.gov
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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