MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - The Mississippi Attorney General is warning of scammers using a Magic Jack device to mask their phone numbers to appear legitimate.
According to AG Jim Hood, a woman in Madison, Mississippi received a call from a 407 area code with the caller claiming to be an officer from Orlando, Florida. The caller stated there was an active warrant for her arrest and she would be taken into custody if an outstanding fee wasn't paid.
The woman called the Orlando Police Department to report the call, and the number turned out to be registered to Magic Jack.
A Magic Jack device allows users to make and receive VoIP phone calls using a phone number from nearly any area code of the user's choosing. Hood stated that when Magic Jack was contacted about the scam, they immediately traced the number's owner to India, disconnected the line and marked it as fraudulent.
"The bad guys like to use legitimate businesses to perpetrate their crimes," Hood stated in a November 29, 2011 news release. "Your best defense is to keep your guard up and verify all information before panicking and wiring money, most of which ends up overseas and virtually impossible to get back."
Hood added that law enforcement agencies do not accept money wires, only cash and bonds.
