Telephone scams are occurring more and more often not only in the Miss-Lou but also around the world.

Scams can range from callers posing as a governmental entity or business to someone pretending to be a family member in distress and in need of help.

Don’t be fooled by such ploys.

If someone calls you saying you owe them money or they need money, do not give him or her any money or personal financial information, such as bank account numbers debit or credit card information, law enforcement officials said.

If you believe the caller is representing a person, company or institution with whom you actually do business, hang up and look up an actual telephone number for the company or person and call them yourself to determine if you owe them any money. That is what local law enforcement representatives advise in the wake of an ongoing and growing telephone scam industry that is bilking $20 billion per year out of unsuspecting victims worldwide, officials said. Telephone scams have gotten sophisticated, too, with scammers being able to mask the actual telephone number from which they are calling to use a number that looks like it is coming from the victim’s area.

Some scammers also can even have information about companies with which their intended targets actually do business, officials said.

Don’t be fooled, if someone calls you demanding money and threatening repercussions it is a scam. Hang up and call local law enforcement to report the activity.

Law enforcement officials also warn people not to be duped by ploys that claim you have won cash but have to pay upfront in order to receive the winnings.

If you win money, you will never have to pay to receive it, law enforcement officials said. As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Here we offer another old adage but with a twist for when you suspect a telephone scam: Don’t trust and always verify.