This is a community announcement from the Ithaca Police Department. It was not written by The Ithaca Voice. To submit community announcements, please send them to Matt Butler at mbutler@ithacavoice.com.
Recently the Ithaca Police Department has learned that individuals claiming to be from the U.S. Inspector General’s Office have contacted Tompkins County Residents claiming that the residents owe money to the Social Security Administration.
When a citizen questions the authenticity of the phone call, the scammers offer to have a local police officer call the citizen back. A different scammer will then call the citizen back, claiming to be an Ithaca Police Department Officer and gives an actual name of an IPD Officer. Additionally, the phone number that shows up displays is the Ithaca Police Department phone number, 607-272-9973.
The Ithaca Police Department would like to remind everyone that law enforcement will never call a citizen and demand money be paid for a fine, or violation. The IPD would like to remind area residents to be cautious of such phone calls, no matter how convincing they may seem to be.
For further information on scams or frauds, the FBI maintains the following website with helpful tips and information: https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety
