Area residents receiving calls from phony FBI agents

Phone scammers impersonating FBI agents are attempting to bilk Kansas City area residents out of money.

The FBI in St. Louis issued a warning Wednesday about calls received by residents in the western part of the state.

The callers make an actual FBI number appear on the caller ID of their intended victims.

Victims are told they are being investigated by the FBI for tax violations and must provide money or face arrest. In the past, similar calls have been placed to college students who are told they owe money for student loans, taxes or parking tickets.

“Just remember, the FBI does not call or e-mail private citizens to demand money or threaten arrests,” said William Woods, the special agent in charge of the bureau’s St. Louis office.

If people believe they are victims of such a scam, they can file an online complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Area residents receiving calls from phony FBI agents."