Fraud- Fake Police Calls

Have you received a call from someone claiming to be a representative of law enforcement telling you you’re in trouble and must pay to clear the situation? Be aware that it may be a scam! This scam is profoundly disturbing because of the level of intimidation thieves are willing to commit to stealing money from law abiding citizens. How this scam works: An unsuspected victim will receive a call from what appears to be a legitimate police telephone number. The scammer may identify themselves as a police officer or a deputy sheriff using a legitimate title and name from a law enforcement agency. The scammer will then proceed to tell the caller they either have an outstanding warrant, missed a jury duty appearance that has turned into a warrant, or has unpaid tickets. The thief may instruct the caller to purchase “green dot “cards with a specific dollar amount or wire money into a particular bank account. Police will not do the following: • Police will not call to advise you of an outstanding warrant. • Police will not ask for payment over the phone. • Police will not ask for personal or financial information. • Police will not instruct you to wire money. • Police will not send a police vehicle to arrest you if you refuse to make a payment. If you receive a call like this, please do the following: • DO NOT release personal or financial information if asked. • DO NOT wire or purchase gift cards to be used as payment. • Call the respective police agency if the scammer identifies themselves from a specific agency and advise them of the conversation to verify the authenticity of the call or to report the incident. • If you don’t recognize the telephone number let the call go to voicemail. Please be aware of this scam and don’t become the next victim.