Over the past two months, an all too familiar scam has reared its ugly head again. In this case, it involves someone spoofing a local sheriff’s or police department’s office phone number to call a potential victim. The caller usually tells the recipient that they have committed some offense, failed to pay a fine, or some other official sounding offense.
After threatening the victim with arrest, the perpetrator then offers to take care of the situation by allowing the potential victim to pay a “fine” over the telephone. All the victim needs to do is give the caller (scammer) their credit card or bank information. The perpetrator then uses the information to drain the victim’s account.
Law enforcement agencies do not make these types of calls, and they will never solicit financial information via the telephone. If you receive one these calls, hang up and dial the local police department or sheriff’s office using a number that you verify on your own (not the number from your caller ID). This way you can verify what you were told and make a report about the scam call.
For further information, contact the Secure Community Network through ujft.org.