Why that phone call you're getting might NOT be from a Decorah church

Your telephone rings.  You look at the caller ID and see it's from your church, so you pick up the phone.  Instead it's a recorded message being sent out by scammers hoping you'll give them your financial information.

It's the latest twist in the world of scam artists.  At least two Decorah churches have had their phone numbers "borrowed" by telemarketers in recent weeks.

The Iowa Attorney General's Office says it is not a uncommon practice and it is called "telephone number spoofing."  The Federal Communications Commission guide (http://www.fcc.gov/guides/caller-id-and-spoofing) says, "Caller ID service is susceptible to fraud....callers can deliberately falsify the telephone number and/or name relayed as the Caller ID information to disguise the identity of the calling party. For example, identity thieves who want to collect sensitive information such as your bank account or other financial account numbers, your social security number, your date of birth or your mother's maiden name, sometimes use caller ID spoofing to make it appear as though they are calling from your bank, credit card company, or even a government agency."

Winneshiek County Sheriffs Deputy Gordon Buss says, "It is amazing what technology criminals will use, to try to convince someone they are trying to take advantage of."  Buss asks anyone who receives such a call to contact the Sheriff's Department or Decorah Police Department.