Residents warned of phone scam

Jim Thorpe police are warning borough residents of a phone scam being operated in the borough.

Police said a man with a foreign accent called a resident claiming he was a borough police officer. The man told the resident that they needed to give money to the police or be arrested.

The phone number that the man was calling from showed the actual phone number of the borough police department on caller ID. The act of tricking someone into being called by a certain number is called "caller ID spoofing."

Caller ID spoofing is against the law. The Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 prohibits it for the purposes of "defrauding or otherwise causing harm." Penalties for breaking the law range up to $10,000.

Anyone who suspects they were the victim of caller ID spoofing can report it to the Federal Communications Commission by calling 888-CALL-FCC, or filing a complaint at ww.fcc.gov/complaints.