Washington State Patrol ‘Spoofed’ in Monday Scam

The Washington State Patrol became one of the latest law enforcement entities to get 'spoofed' Monday afternoon.

Director of Communications Chris Loftis says spoofing, also known as number hijacking, occurs when a caller masquerades as someone else by forging the number that appears on caller ID devices.

"We started getting reports from across the state." Loftis explained, "People receiving phone calls with a voicemail saying that there were three small explosive devices planted near them and if they wanted to be safe they needed to log on to a website."

Specifically, a Washington State Patrol business number from their Bellevue office was spoofed.

"There's no indication that there is any sort of bomber out there or anything other than someone trying to prey on people's fears." added Loftis, "This is obviously someone that is trying to steal your money and they are doing it by trying to stealing your peace of mind."

Anyone who receives suspicious and unscheduled communications either by phone, text, or email should avoid logging on to suggested websites, calling unknown numbers, or providing personal information at the prompting of strangers.