Attorney General Luther Strange warns Alabama residents of a new telephone scam in which scam artists using a faked caller ID claim to be from the Attorney General’s Office seeking payment for an old debt or bad check.

“My office has logged multiple complaints today from people across Alabama reporting they’ve received phone calls from the Attorney General’s Office Investigations Division threatening them with arrest if they don’t pay off an old debt or bad check,” said Attorney General Strange.

The scam callers are using “spoofing” technology to generate fake caller IDs that read the same as the Attorney General’s Office. The scam artists are attempting to pressure their victims to purchase pre-paid credit cards or other forms of payment to avoid arrest.

“Please know that any call you may receive from the Attorney General’s Office, or any law enforcement agency or court office for that matter, to collect money is a scam. Furthermore, debt collectors cannot arrest you. If, for any reason, law enforcement or the courts have an issue with you, you will usually be notified in writing and be ordered to contact the clerk’s office, either in person or by telephone.

“Persons should never assume phone calls and caller IDs which claim to be from law enforcement, the courts or the IRS, are genuine. You should always seek to verify them by first calling those agencies directly.

“Impersonating a law enforcement officer and misrepresenting the judicial process to scam people out of money is a serious crime and I encourage anyone who receives such a call to report it to my office at 1-800-392-5658,” said Attorney General Strange.