By Shermain Bique-Charles
Scam artists are using phone numbers from government departments to defraud residents.
They are making it appear as if the calls are coming from legitimate officials like the Attorney General, Steadroy ‘Cutie’ Benjamin
The latest in a string of phone calls and text messages have been coming from a man with a Nigerian accent, claiming to be Minister Benjamin.
The alleged Samsung agent claimed that he is working in tandem with the government to reward eligible residents with hundreds of thousands of dollars including tablets, cellphones, and televisions.
To deceive potential victims who examine the numbers on incoming calls, the scammers spoof their calls so that they display the phone numbers of the relevant government departments. In this case, the scammers are somehow able to use the number of the AG’s office.
“I have no idea about this at all. These people are just trying to defraud people using my name and other top officials’ names. I have already contacted the police commissioner about the issue.
Benjamin recalled the same issue surfaced over a year ago, including other government officials and even Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams.
Residents were placed on high alert last year after police confirmed that the names of top officials were being used to scam locals.
The police had said at the time that the personal Facebook accounts of these prominent figures had been hacked, and they were being used by scammers to swindle money out of gullible people.