Police Department

New Tools Helping Scammers to Seem More Legitimate than Ever

Cpl. Teresa Fuller

Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 6:25 p.m.

The Spokane Police Department is receiving reports of a scam involving money owed to SPD. Victims report they have received a call from a number appearing to be a legitimate SPD phone number, telling them they failed to pay a bond and now have to pay an officer money to keep from going to jail. Law enforcement officers never call people with warrants requesting payments to take care of their legal issues. If you receive calls similar to this or believe you may have been the victim of a scam, please call Crime Check at 509.456.2233.

Spokane Police have received at least a couple calls from potential victims who received suspicious phone calls. The caller identified himself as an employee from the Spokane Police Department. At least one of the victims reported the number showing on her caller ID was a number that came back to the Spokane Police Department. The suspect advised the potential victims they owed money on a bond. The suspect then went on to tell the victims to send money in order to avoid going to jail on a warrant.

Like in most of these types of scams, the demands are high pressure, with the threat of serious consequences, and the suspects were very specific in how the money was to be delivered. Some scammers also now have the technological capability to program in the number victims see on their caller ID, making their story seem even more believable. At least one of the victims reported losing money believing they were going to jail because of the gravity of the suspect’s claims.

Law enforcement officers never call people with warrants requesting payments over the phone to take care of their legal issues. If you receive calls similar to this or believe you may have been the victim of a scam, please call Crime Check at 509.456.2233.

• Newer
• Older