A Southern California police department is warning residents about fake law enforcement scammers pressuring victims into sending money.
“We’ve received reports of recent scam incidents where criminals impersonate law enforcement and federal agents, including LBPD employees,” the Long Beach Police Department posted Wednesday.
Police said that the scammers call victims about purchases, then transfer them to someone posing as a U.S. Marshal or ATF agent who tells them that they are “under investigation.”
The victims are then pressured into withdrawing cash, purchasing gift cards or wiring money.
The scammers are even able to mimic official phone numbers, making the scheme more convincing and resulting in losses of tens of thousands of dollars.
Police offered several tips to protect yourself:
- The LBPD, or any law enforcement agency, will never call and demand money, gift cards, or wire transfers. Hang up and verify using the official numbers listed on our website.
- Never share personal information with unsolicited callers or respond to suspicious emails.
- Don’t trust caller ID; scammers can spoof official numbers.
- Please share this post and flyer to help protect others in our community.
Residents were urged to report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. Internet fraud should be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
“Together, we can stop these scams,” police said.
The post Southern California police department warns of scammers posing as law enforcement appeared first on KTLA.
