The Arroyo Grande Police Department is reminding the public about an ongoing phone scam.
Over the past couple of weeks, law enforcement has been receiving inquiries regarding a telephone scam. Individuals are receiving calls telling them they have a warrant for their arrest. The scammer will ‘spoof’ the telephone number and use the name of a current Police Department employee so the scam appears to be legit.
The scammer says to clear the warrant, the victim needs to buy pre-paid debit cards and provide the scammers with the activation code. Once done, the victim’s money is gone.
These scammers are “extremely convincing” and will work to keep the victim on the phone throughout the whole process. They even tell victims that the store clerks will try to tell them it’s a scam.
First, as a normal, law-abiding citizen, having a warrant out for your arrest should be a huge red flag. Second, law enforcement agencies do not call and notify individuals that they have an arrest warrant.
Many of these types of scams target the senior citizen population, so citizens are encouraged to make family members and friends aware.
Most of the scams originate from outside the U.S. and it’s nearly impossible to investigate.
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Contact Information:
Beau D. Pryor, Chief of Police
805-473-5110
bpryor@arroyogrande.org