Attorney General Kwame Raoul warned Illinois residents to be on alert for phone scams in which callers pose as representatives of law enforcement or public utilities in order to con people into sending money. Raoul is encouraging Illinois residents to be vigilant of scams in light of recent reports of scammers impersonating representatives of the Social Security Administration, the Illinois State Police (ISP) and public utilities. Raoul also is cautioning people to be aware of similar scams via email, and of romance scams as Valentine’s Day approaches. The recent phone scams involve scammers spoofing phone numbers, causing caller ID devices to display what appears to be a legitimate call from Social Security, the ISP or a utility. Scam artists on the other end of the line claim they are collecting on a phony debt and instruct their targets to make cash or gift card payments, wire transfers, or provide confidential personal information in order to avoid losing benefits, being arrested, or having their utilities shut off. Raoul encourages residents who need to report a scam to do so on the Attorney General’s website or by calling his Consumer Fraud Hotline (1-800-386-5438 in Chicago, 1-800-243-0618 in Springfield, and 1-800-243-0607 in Carbondale).