MONROE, La. – The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning people that scammers are impersonating the agency, even using their agents’ names and phone numbers to look legitimate.
The Better Business Bureau says callers will say that your information or name was used in a drug bust.
“If you’re a green card holder this could be very disturbing. So the DEA has issued a special warning, an alert to all individuals in the US that their names, their officers’ names, badge numbers, even their website, and phone numbers are being used,” says Jo-Ann Deal with the BBB.
Sometimes they’ll already have information about you when they call, making you think it’s really the DEA. That’s why Deal says it’s important to keep personal information off of social media.
“Remove dates of birth, birthdays, anniversaries, information about your profession that could make you targeted, this goes for LinkedIn as well,” explains Deal.
She says scammers will try to get your personal information and even your money.
“The DEA will never call you about your name being used for a rental car, or your name being found in a car full of drugs, or your information was shared in another drug arrest.”
Deal says the DEA would operate through law enforcement first to get in contact with you. If you have questions about the agency you can visit their website here. Here are some important points from their website:
- The DEA will never call and ask for your SSN or other personal information. It won’t ask you to pay anything. And it won’t call to say you’re under investigation or threaten you with arrest.
- Your caller ID might show a real DEA phone number, but that’s not the real DEA calling. Computers make it easy to show any number on caller ID. Don’t trust what you see there.
- Never give your SSN to anyone who contacts you. Don’t confirm the last 4 digits. And don’t give a bank account or credit card number — ever — to anybody who contacts you asking for it.
- Anyone who tells you to wire money, pay with a gift card, or send cash or cryptocurrency is a scammer. Always. No matter who they say they are.
“So remember, go to the DEA website if you have questions about who they are and where they are and do know that the information on their website, which is public, can be misused by scammers,” says Deal.
If you have any questions you can call the BBB at (318) 387-4600 or (318) 797-1330. Their office is still working from home, so calls will be sent to voicemail and then returned. Make sure your phone number is not anonymous.
