ROCKINGHAM – FirstHealth of the Carolinas is warning the community about a phone scam that uses “caller ID spoofing.”
According to Emily Sloan, FirstHealth’s assistant public relations director, people are receiving phone calls that appear to be from a FirstHealth phone number. Upon answering, the scammer is asking for credit card information.
This is considered a case of caller ID spoofing, which is a manipulation of the caller ID feature that allows the scammer to disguise his or her true identity. In this case, scammers are disguising themselves as FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
FirstHealth is encouraging local residents to hang up immediately should they receive a call like this. It should also be noted that the call’s recipient should not share any personal information over the phone.
Because these calls do not actually come from FirstHealth, it’s not necessary to call the number back.
For those who may have given any personal information to a similar caller, FirstHealth suggests taking the time to contact their bank and/or credit card companies. Anyone who believes that they are the victim of identity theft, should call their local law enforcement office.
