The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement Friday warning residents to be wary of phone calls with pre-recorded messages.
“If you answer the phone and it’s a recorded message, it’s probably an illegal robocall,” said the alert. “In the Robocall Scam, criminals bombard people with automated phone calls, falsely claiming to represent a business or government agency.”
The goal of the scammers is to convince their marks to to divulge personal information that can then be used to commit identity or financial theft.
The DA’s office recommends that people stay vigilant and use common sense when answering their phones. If you receive a robocall they suggest that you:
- Hang up the phone and don’t press any buttons while you are on the line.
- Don’t trust caller ID — robocalls may appear as local numbers.
- Check call-blocking options on your phone and from your service provider.
For more information on this and other scams, the DA’s office recommends people follow @LADAOffice on Twitter and Instagram and use #FraudFriday to keep up with their latest updates.
