Smithfield, NC – Johnston County is warning citizens of reports that a Johnston County Tax Office telephone number has been used recently as part of a telephone spoofing scam. Scammers can alter caller ID systems to make it appear that the call is coming from a telephone number in the Johnston County Tax Office (919.989.5149). The callers are attempting to collect credit card debt. The Tax Office does not request payment be made over the phone. Johnston County takes this matter very seriously. While we continue to investigate the situation, we would like to remind the public that you can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the Federal Trade Commission or the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 919.716.6400, www.ncdoj.gov. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/, 1.877.ID.THEFT (877.438.4338); TTY: 866.653.4261.
