Precinct Four Announces Resurgence of Phone Scam Alert

  The recent resurgence in the Star-7-2 telephone scam has prompted the Department to issue the following warning:

  

The Star-7-2 scam involves the victim receiving a call from a stranger posing as telephone technician or a person in a desperate situation such someone who has been arrested.  The caller attempts to invoke a sense of urgency with the victim that requires the victim’s immediate assistance.  The victim is prompted by the caller to forward the call by pressing star-7-2 and entering a number provided by the caller.  The caller may advise that he is not allowed make another call, children are involved and need to be picked up, or any number of similar tactics to convince the victim to participate.  If the victim complies, the victim’s calls are forwarded to another number where the caller’s partner in crime can accept collect calls and third party calls which are all billed to the victim’s telephone phone.  The victim is usually not aware of the scam until he or she receives their phone bill.  

 

If you receive a call from an unknown person similar in nature to the one described above beware.  Advise the caller that you are not willing to participate and hang up the phone.