The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is cautioning northern Ohio residents about a telephone spoofing campaign.

The caller is portrayed as an attorney, representative or law enforcement officer, and the phone number is showing as the Department of Justice or the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

During these calls, scammers may attempt to collect money from victims or threaten arrest or legal action. These calls are bogus and an attempt to use a legitimate law enforcement number to obtain money from victims, according to a news release from the attorney’s office.

Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information such as actual names of federal prosecutors and federal office addresses. They also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office reminds the public to be vigilant and never share personal identifying information with a caller that you have not initiated contact with or have not verified as a legitimate business or organization.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will never ask you to purchase a gift card or give out a credit card number to avoid arrest.

To report a call or message from someone portraying to be a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office or Department of Justice, contact the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov