Law Enforcement Scams
Abuse of trust is the cornerstone of every successful scam. Scammers have learned ways to impersonate seemingly trustworthy individuals, businesses, and agencies to manipulate our emotions and eventually steal our money. Imposter scams can come in many forms, but one of the more frightening involves the impersonation of law enforcement or enforcement agencies. You may have heard about scammers claiming to be from a federal agency like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or other agencies. Remember, neither the FBI nor the IRS will call you concerning matters before those agencies. You can find more information about these types of federal agency scams on the FBI/IRS webpages.
However, an increasingly common scam involves impersonating local law enforcement, which is quite smart when you think about it. If you see a random long-distance phone number on your caller ID, you’re probably less likely to answer. But, if the phone number is from your area code, and perhaps even says it’s the local sheriff’s office or police department, the urge to pick up is stronger. After all, it could be an emergency. Maybe a loved one is being rushed to the hospital and you’re their emergency contact. Faking a phone number on caller ID is astonishingly simple, and therefore, the caller ID can’t always be trusted.
When you answer, you’re greeted by an individual claiming to be an officer at your local police or sheriff's office. The caller may even provide a name that you can confirm in a quick Google search. They ask you to confirm your name, and when you do, the caller begins with one of many different schemes, which will always end with them requiring you to either send money, provide personal identifying information, or both.
For example, the caller may claim that officers visited your home at some earlier date to issue a court summons or that you failed to appear for a court appearance, stating a warrant has been issued for your arrest. The fake law enforcement caller says if you don’t come to the station, they’ll send officers to arrest you, but you can avoid being arrested if you agree to post bond over the phone at that time. The caller offers to accept payment over the phone, “for your convenience.”
In another example, the caller might claim they confiscated a package addressed to you and it’s filled with money, illegal drugs, or weapons. The caller states that if you don’t pay a fine, they’ll issue a warrant for your arrest.
The fake law enforcement caller might not ask for money, but they could claim one of your loved ones was arrested or perhaps severely injured and that you need to provide private information to help them. The caller might use your loved one’s names or relationship to add credibility to their claims. This information can be easily found through social media or through other online information.
In situations like these, the best course of action is first to stay calm. The scammer’s goal is to manipulate you into making an emotional, rash decision out of fear. Never provide or confirm personal information over the phone, even if the caller already knows your name, your loved one’s names, or other pieces of your personal information. And, of course, never make a payment to these callers. If you are concerned about your family members, take a few minutes and contact your family members directly.
Real law enforcement officers (at any level) will never call to say you’re going to be arrested or threaten to arrest you if you hang up. If there is a real warrant for your arrest, law enforcement will simply find you and arrest you, without an advance phone call.
Real law enforcement officers will also never call to insist you pay fines to buy your way out of a “crime,” and if any supposed “officer” requests payment by gift cards, cryptocurrency, digital payment apps, or wire transfer, it’s a clear sign they’re a scammer.
If you receive a call like this, hang up without providing any information to the caller. If you want to check out the call just to be certain, call your local police or sheriff’s department, using the non-emergency phone number on your city’s/county’s official website. If you’ve already been victimized by one of these scams and initiated a payment through your MidFirst Bank account, call 888.MIDFIRST (888.643.3477) immediately for assistance.