Scam Artists Intimidate Exchange Student
Scam artists are using Google to establish phony federal agency status. In the last week, several individuals in Missoula have received phone calls that appear on caller ID to be real Federal Bureau of Investigations’ phone numbers, but are part of an elaborate electronic scam for money or intimidation. One, using local FBI satellite office phone numbers, targeted international students at the University of Montana.
An exchange student from China got a call from a man who pretended to switch lines, then a woman asked about his post-graduation plans. He said he’d find a job in China. The woman reportedly insulted and threatened him, saying that Chinese students come to the United States to take American jobs. Saying she was with the FBI, she recommended he Google the number. He found it matched the satellite FBI office in Billings.