According to WGME, there's a phone scam fleecing people in Maine and New Hampshire. The scammers are posing as New Hampshire State Police officers.

This scam is costing people billions of dollars a year because it plays on people's fear, it has manipulated victims into giving up almost $10 billion dollars in over the past year. The average amount lost by each victim is $244.

Here's how the scam works:

Scammers call and falsely identify themselves as New Hampshire State Police, they say that the person's relative is under arrest and that they must pay their bail for them to be released. Victims are asked for their social security number, address, bank and other personal information.

The Federal Trade Commision reported this scam earlier this year and it continues to grow. A study showed that men between the ages of 18-34 were the most susceptible to the scam.

The New Hampshire State Police remind us that real troopers do not call asking for bail money and that they always identify themselves and which troop they belong to.

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