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We know scammers are out there, impersonating the authorities and conjuring up different schemes to fool people into giving them money. They might say they’re calling from the IRS because you owe taxes. Or claim they’re from the FTC, calling to help you recover money lost to a scammer. But now we’re hearing about a new ploy: scammers are impersonating the police! That takes some chutzpah, huh? Here’s how it works.

You get a phone call. Someone you care about is in jail and, they say, you need to pay up to bail him out. The scam-detecting radar in your head immediately goes off. You’re skeptical – but the caller ID says the call is from the police department. And, let’s be honest, your nephew is a knucklehead and you can totally imagine him being arrested. So, you keep listening.

The caller tells you to put money on a prepaid card and give him the card number. Now your scam-detecting radar is going off the charts. You know that police departments — and the federal government, for that matter — don’t tell people to pay with prepaid cards. You also know using a prepaid card is like paying cash — once the money is gone, you can’t get it back.

“But what about the caller ID?” you wonder. In fact, what seems like reliable information about the source of a call isn’t so reliable anymore. Scammers can rig caller ID to look like they’re calling from the police department. Or, really, anywhere — even your own number. Don’t rely on caller ID. It’s not foolproof. Scammers can easily spoof it to try to gain your trust. If it looks like the police are calling, look up the non-emergency phone number (hint: it’s not 9-1-1) and call to find out if the story is legit. You’ll soon learn it’s a scam.

Report the imposter to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

To learn more, read How To Avoid a Government Impersonator Scam.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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Rc2020
November 02, 2020
Phone call from scammer about ss number. And 1 from supposed local police
cinderella
February 08, 2021
I just got a call from someone impersonating a police officer telling me to call back on an important issue. I hung up.
Jury duty scam.
March 01, 2021
1-(206)-705-5245 Called and said I missed Jury duty and had a warrant out for my arrest. Was going to try and say I could pay a ticket over the phone but hung up when I asked for his badge number.
Louise
March 28, 2021
I received a call saying I owed them from a payday loan 5 years ago from a bank I never had a bank account with I had to pay so much by 2 that day I was upset told my son he said not to do it find out more info then they called again from sheriff office in a town close to me and said they will put me in jail if I didn't pay it nobody showed up
je5
March 29, 2021
540-467-5135 Police spoof scam
NecrochildK
June 04, 2021
JUST got one of these just now and was looking for where to report them. Of all things, it was a recorded message impersonating a police officer.
KirDon't use y…
September 03, 2021
So I met a guy his name is Ryan Cooper emigrated to states at 14 from Serbia with his mom, he’s an oil rig engineer , corrosive expert. He took a job in Arabian Sea still Skyped for hours everyday after and before work. The details were incredible . I FaceTime with him he sent photos with him in them from Rig etc. I had called him out once as a scammer he kept proving me wrong . I made it clear he would never see a penny. So leaving the rig I heard nothing for days until a man phoned saying he had been arrested for fracking in the Arabian Sea. I called him every name in the book including scammer. He claims he’s just trying to help RyN wanted him to reach me. I no longer answer the calls . They never asked for money and I did FaceTime with the rig scammer . I’m just baffled !!!
Disappointed
October 20, 2021

In reply to by KirDon't use y…

I met the same Ryan cooper except he claims he is in Australia on a job. From Serbia, has a son that lives with the mom. Supposedly owns his own company. Looking to retire early or whatever. He has a florida area code and uses WhatsApp. He will video call with you. He is gorgeous and has a cute accent. To good to be true always is. Talked to him for 2-3 days but knew the entire time. He started changing his tune once I started calling him out on it. Relationships are built on trust blah blah. His Whats app name is B Ryan Cp and the number is 305-809-6098.