Minnesota Commerce Department Warns Against Nationwide Robocall Scheme

The Commerce Department says phone scammers often use fear tactics to extract money and personal information from victims.

St. Paul, MN–The Minnesota Department of Commerce urges consumers to take precautions against potential robocall scams.

The Commerce Department says advances in technology allow scammers to utilize auto-dialers to reach thousands of phones every minutes for a low cost, causing a nation-wide influx of robocalls.

Last year, the star tribune reported that Minnesotans receive an average of eight “machine-made” calls per month–that is about 44.888 million unwanted calls across the state.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce says phone scammers often use fear tactics to extract money and personal information from victims.

One of the most popular prerecorded messages comes from impostor federal tax representatives who claim to be from the I.R.S., but the Federal Trade Commission has reported a new trend–fraudulent calls from Social Security Administration impostors.

The Department of Commerce will continue to take legal action against robocall scams, but urges consumers to be vigilant when answering the phone.