Hackers and scammers seem to be constantly evolving.

Both in their technology and the schemes the use to get your money.

Just this week, we heard about a familiar phone rip-off hitting the Valley, plus a new scam, with a twist. 

It just so happens our Rebecca Brumfield was on the receiving end of one those calls.

She received a call from her hometown.

She didn’t recognize the number, so she let the call go to voicemail. 

When she listened to it, they threatened her with arrest. 

Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one getting scammed. 

“…There are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment,” says scammers. 

The official term is called “spoofing.”  

No matter the name, thousands of people right here in the Wabash Valley get calls like these. 

“We would request you get back to us so that we can discuss about this case,” says scammers. 

“Just really kind of concerns me,” says Janet Bays, scam target.  

It was just a typical day for Daniel and Janet bays until a call changed the flow of things. 

“It’s not a professional voice,” says Daniel.

“He kept saying that I need your Medicare numbers and everything so that I can give them to your doctor so that you can get your Medicare benefits,” says Janet.  

This is just a sneaky way to get personal information to steal your identity.

Medicare numbers match the social security numbers of recipients.

Thankfully for Daniel and Janet, something just didn’t feel right.

“I said I’m not comfortable with this call and I am not giving you any numbers and I’m hanging up and so that was how it was,” says Janet. “It was kinda scary.” 

“It could be halfway across the world because of the new technology where you can mask your number,” says Chief John Plasse. “Just think. It’s your hard earned money, you don’t want to lose it to a scam and be very careful before you do so.” 

The best advice from they Bays? If you don’t know the number: let it ring.

“Be a little bit cautious because we know they’re out there and we think ‘it can’t happen to me,’ it almost happened to us,” says Janet. 

The best thing to do is block the number, especially if they don’t leave a message.

If you do find yourself receiving lots of calls, take down the numbers and send them in to your local police department. 

They can check them and potentially prevent other people from receiving calls from that number. 

There’s no real way to prevent scammers from calling, but there are certain apps that can help.

There are plenty of apps available now to help sift through bogus calls, but the most important thing to remember is to never give your personal information out over the phone.