SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - On Monday, the FBI warned consumers to be on alert for a phone scam that primarily targets college students while displaying the FBI's telephone number on the recipient's caller ID.
According to FBI Special Agent, Darrell Foxworth, the FBI has received multiple calls from college students at various universities complaining of a phone scam involving someone claiming to represent the U.S. government or even claiming to be FBI agents.
The number looks authentic with an - 858 - area code, which is local. When individuals call back the number, its the FBI.
According to the FBI, scammers are hijacking their field office numbers to target college students.
San Diego State students on campus said they believe they would know better if a scammer targeted t hem, but the FBI said the cons are smart and will keep individuals on the phone to elicit more personal information.
In those cases, the caller advised the students of delinquent student loans or dues, delinquent taxes, or even overdue parking tickets.
On occasion, the caller even threatens the students with arrest and not graduating from school if these fees were not immediately satisfied via MoneyGram.
During each attempt to gain personally identifiable information from the students, the caller claims to have specific student information.
In addition, the originating telephone number used by the scammer is displayed or "spoofed" as that of the telephone number of an FBI field office.
The public is reminded that the FBI does not call private citizens requesting money and to never give out unsolicited requests for personal information to callers that you don't know.
Individuals receiving such calls can file a complaint through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.