Warning Issued About Phone Scam Using Call Forwarding
September 23, 2026/
A phone scam involving call forwarding is affecting the area. According to the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff, scammers are posing as bank representatives and using spoofed phone numbers to make it appear the call is coming from a legitimate financial institution. Victims are then told to dial *72 and a number provided by the caller, which forwards their incoming calls to the scammer. The scammers can then attempt to intercept verification calls or codes used to access financial and other personal accounts. People are advised not to dial *72, provide passwords or verification codes, or rely on caller ID. Instead, contact your bank directly using the number on your bank card or statement. Anyone who has followed the scammer’s instructions should dial *73 to cancel the call forwarding, contact their financial institutions, change their passwords and monitor their accounts and credit reports for suspicious activity.
Additional Information from the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff:
Please be aware of a phone scam currently impacting our area. The *72 scam is a type of phone scam where victims are tricked into forwarding their calls to a scammer, who then can access your calls to intercept automated identity verification or forgot password calls from your financial and personal accounts.
Here’s how it works:
1. You received a phone call from someone claiming to be from your bank who says a fraudulent transaction has taken place on your account. This phone number may appear to be your bank’s legitimate number, but has actually been spoofed.
2. The caller will tell you they need to forward you to the fraud department to secure your account. They’ll advise you to hit *72 followed by a 10-digit number they provide.
3. By dialing *72 and the provided number, you have now forwarded all your incoming calls to the fraudster. They will then attempt to access your accounts and have usernames, passwords, and authentification codes sent by phone to them, which will be used to gain unauthorized access to your accounts.
If someone calls claiming to be your bank and says there has been fraudulent activity:
Do NOT dial *72 or any other code they provide. Do NOT give them passwords, verification codes, or other sensitive information. Do NOT rely on the phone number displayed on your caller ID.
Contact your bank directly using the phone number on your bank card, statement, or the bank’s official website, or visit a branch in person.
What Should You Do If You Followed Their Instructions? Act Quickly!
End the scammer’s ability to access your calls by dialing *73 and letting it ring.
Contact your bank or financial institutions directly to secure your accounts.
Change your passwords for your financial accounts, email, social media, and online shopping accounts such as Amazon or Walmart.
Monitor your financial accounts and credit reports closely for suspicious activity.
Report the scam to your local law enforcement agency