Police Issue Warnings On Phone Scam

NEWINGTON (AP) —Police say scammers, possibly from an Illinois prison, have duped several Connecticut residents into setting their telephones to call-forwarding mode.

That lets the scammers accept collect and third-party calls, all of which are billed to those they swindled.

In an October 1 press conference, police in Newington say several dozen reports have been filed there in the last week.

They say the scammer pretends to be a police officer informing the homeowner of an emergency, then says the homeowner must dial 1172 and a particular phone number for more information.

Police say that forwards the homeowners’ calls, however. They often do not know they have been scammed until the charges already have piled up.

Telephone companies have issued warnings about the scam nationwide, and authorities say prisoners at a Chicago-area jail also have victimized homeowners in Washington state.