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New app-based scam disguises caller ID

Media Outlet: 

Fox 29

Con artists are using legal smartphone apps in a new scam. They call a potential victim to say he or she has bounced a check. If the person refutes that claim, the scammer calls back using an app that disguises the number – making it appear as if a police officer is calling – and threatens arrest if the bill isn't paid. "Right now this is probably preying on people’s view that whatever shows up on their caller ID is actually the truth," said Richard Flanagan, who directs a master's program in IT Auditing and Cyber-Security at Temple's Fox School of Business.