(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said new cases of criminals posing as members of law enforcement have added a new aspect to the scam, requesting gold or other precious metals as payment.

According to CSPD, police continue to investigate new cases of scams where criminals pose as members of law enforcement, claiming that their intended victim has missed jury duty, failed to show up to court for a subpoena, or to turn themselves in on a warrant, and demand immediate payment to resolve the situation.

CSPD said the new aspect of the scam is that criminals are demanding payment in the form of gold or other precious metals. Currently, police are investigating two cases where someone bought gold from legitimate dealers, but then turned the gold over to scammers in hopes of protecting their assets or avoiding potential penalties. CSPD believes there are more cases of this scam that have gone unreported.

“These scams sound real, and scammers usually have some information about the victim or company that sounds legitimate. 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.

CSPD shared several things that the community can do to help prevent themselves from becoming the 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, cryptocurrency, or precious metals such as gold, stop and take a moment. Remember that law enforcement will never solicit payment over the phone, especially through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or gold.

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 the 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.

To report a scam, contact CSPD at (719) 444-7000 or your appropriate local jurisdiction.