South Florida hotbed for impostor scams

FTC warns how to detect phony calls

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – South Florida continues to be a hotbed for impostor scams. Every day, many South Floridians receive phone calls from people claiming to be from the IRS or a debt collection agency. 

Many viewers have contacted the "Call Christina" team about these calls. In one case, a viewer played an audio recording of the call he received from a man claiming to be from the IRS.

The message warned the viewer that it was his final notice to pay a certain amount of money before he received a lawsuit.

Local 10 News investigative reporter Christina Vazquez sat down with Cindy Liebes, director of the Southeast Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission, who said impostor scams are on the rise.

"Consumers are getting calls from someone pretending to be from the government, maybe from the IRS, or from another government agency, even from the FTC, saying they owe a debt or they owe some money and they're going to be arrested if the person doesn't pay money, right now, up front. That is a fraud," said Liebes.

Here is some advice for fielding suspicious calls:

·         Don't wire money

·         Don't pay for a promised prize

·         Don't give the caller financial and/or personal information

For more information on spotting scam artists like fake debt collectors and IRS impostors, visit these resources on the "Call Christina" page of Local10.com:

Signs 'debt collector' is scamming you

Local 10 News viewer avoids falling victim to IRS tax scam

Additional Resources:

FTC: Government imposter scams

FTC: IRS imposter scams

Follow Christina Vazquez on Twitter @CallChristinaTV

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10


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