Police Warrant Scam

Date: 03/27/2017

The police will never call you to inform you about a warrant.

Who Is It Targeting: Local residents

What Is It: A phishing scam to extort money

What Are They After: Police in one jurisdiction have issued a public service announcement, warning citizens about a phone scam. Alarmingly, the number that appears on the caller ID actually lists the phone number and the name of their police department.

Once the victim answers the phone, a scammer comes on the line to inform them that there’s a warrant for their arrest. They’re instructed to meet the officers at addresses such as a local shopping center in order to pay thousands of dollars in alleged fines.

How Can You Avoid It:

  • You will never receive a phone call that tells you there’s a warrant issued for your arrest.
  • Those matters are handled via paper documentation, typically served in person by a uniformed officer.
  • Never, ever agree to meet someone at a strange address, especially someone who calls and demands cash payment.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from Andover Patch.

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