Only On 2: Local Woman Gets Threatening Call From DEA But It's All A Scam

CALABASAS (CBSLA.com) —  A local woman wants to warn the public about a scam she encountered.

Jen Levinson didn't fall for it, but officials say many do.

Levinson received a call from the "DEA" telling her that she was facing arrest.

CBS2's Juan Fernandez spoke to Levinson Friday evening. It is a story that is Only On 2.

"I was a little nervous," Levinson said, "I thought to myself, what did I do?"

The caller left a message that said,

"This is special agent [name deleted] calling directly from the DEA Drug Enforcement Administration. At your earliest convenience, you should get in contact with us, if it is not a possibility that we're able to reach you over the phone, a court warrant will be issued for your arrest."

An experienced blogger, she told Fernandez she knew almost immediately that the call was bogus.

She went on line and found out the DEA call was a scam. By sending in money, the scammers are hoping to catch unsuspecting people off guard.

Levinson decided to call back using a blocked number.

"During the four minutes," she says, "it sounded like someone was pushing some buttons. She came back after about four minutes and said she was unable to pull up my file and could I call back from a non blocked phone number."

Levinson says the call came to an abrupt halt when she asked one more question.

"I said, 'How do you sleep at night?'", Levinson said, "and she replied, 'Very comfortably.'"

The Justice Department says that no government agency will call asking for money and any such calls are clear extortion attempts.

"It's very threatening," says tax preparer Jim Banks.

He told Fernandez that several of his clients have received similar calls.

"The IRS does not call people demanding payment," Banks says, "it's a scam."

The Justice Department says if you get a scam call from the "DEA" or the "IRS" you should ignore the request and report the threat.