A scam being sent out to area cell phones via text and phone calls are leading many people to accidentally place 911 phone calls. Within four hours, the Waukesha County Communication Center received more than 150 emergency calls by people who did not know they were placing 911 phone calls.
People are advised in the messages that their debit card has been compromised and that they should call 112. When the people dial 112, it automatically dials into emergency authorities.
"What we know at this point is that this is a scam," states a news release from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department. "You should not respond
by pressing 1, nor should you return the call by dialing 112. Calls into WCC have been steady, but the system is not overwhelmed, and real emergency calls are still coming in on the 911 lines appropriately. It is our understanding that ATT mobility is working on this issue, as is the FBI and other governmental entities. We believe this scam is affecting mobile customers in the Southeast Wisconsin areas, including Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties at this time. WCC dispatchers are doing a great job of fielding and logging all calls coming into the center, and additional assistance has been requested from off-duty operators. We are confident that this situation will be resolved very soon."
112 is the European emergency number.
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