Congresswoman Claudia Tenney's office says people have been complaining about a surge of malicious, harassing telephone calls.

Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News (file)
Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News (file)
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The Oneida County Republican represents New York's 22nd Congressional District. Her office issued a statement regarding a wave of calls reported by constituents in recent days.

Tenney spokeswoman Hannah Andrews said residents of the district, including some in Broome and Tioga counties, have reported receiving calls claiming to be from the congresswoman's office. In some cases, constituents wind up being connected directly to Tenney's office after they are urged to repeat a phrase.

Andrews told WNBF News that the messages are similar to "robocalls" that sometimes are legitimately used for political messages. She said the mysterious calls have been reported over the past week.

Andrews said Caller ID displays sometimes show a "202" area code, suggesting they originate from Washington, DC. But the real origination point of the calls isn't known. Technology can enable scammers to "spoof" numbers on Caller ID displays.

Andrews said Tenney's office has been in touch with the United States Capitol Police regarding the calls.

Tenney will discuss the calls on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.

For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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