(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is warning the community of scams where suspected criminals pose as members of law enforcement.
The police department said they continue to investigate these cases, where the suspects claim that their intended victim has missed jury duty, failed to show up to court for a subpoena, or turned themselves in on a warrant and demand immediate payment to resolve the situation.
CSPD is also investigating cases that involve scammers using ‘spoofing’ technology, which makes it appear that they are calling from a CSPD number caller ID and using the names of legitimate officers and even members of CSPD command staff.
“These scams sound real, and scammers usually have some information about the victim or company that sounds legitimate,” wrote CSPD. “As a reminder, neither CSPD nor any law enforcement agency will ever solicit payment of any kind over the phone, especially not through gift cards or cryptocurrency.”
Since Jan. 2024, CSPD has seen around 35 cases of these scams, totaling $93,000 in fraudulent payments.
CSPD recommends the following tips to help prevent becoming a victim of a scam:
Be careful of what you post on social media. Scammers can get personal information about you and your family that they try to use to their advantage.
If you get a call from someone who is asking to pay a fine, warrant, or fee via gift cards or cryptocurrency, stop and take a moment. Law enforcement will never solicit payments over the phone, especially through gift cards or cryptocurrency.
If the caller says they are from law enforcement, hang up and look up the contact information for that agency. Call them back at the publicly listed number to contact to verify their information.
If they are the CEO of the company or business, verify the information with a manager or another employee.
Do not click on web address links from texts or emails, do your own internet search for the website or phone number to contact them.
Some other tactics scammers may use are keeping the victim on the phone the entire time while they are buying gift cards, transferring money, or making withdrawals.
To report a scam, contact CSPD at (719) 444-7000 or your local jurisdiction.
