FBI warns of phone scam in Valdosta, Columbus

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) - The FBI Atlanta Division is warning everyone to be on alert for a phone scam that primarily targets college students. The criminals can make their caller ID show the FBI's phone number.

They are getting complaints from Valdosta and Columbus.

The FBI has received multiple calls from college students who say they've been called by someone claiming to represent the U.S. government or even claiming to be FBI agents.

The claims the student has delinquent student loans or dues, delinquent taxes, or even overdue parking tickets. The caller might even threaten the student with arrest, and not graduating from school if these fees were not immediately paid by MoneyGram.

During each attempt to gain personally identifiable information from the students, the caller claims to have specific student information.

The FBI wants everyone to know that they don't call private citizens requesting money, and they should never give out unsolicited requests for personal information to callers they don't know.

If you get a call like this, you can file a complaint through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center HERE.

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