Crime & Safety
Residents Beware: Scammers Pretending to be Police
Scammers impersonating police officers are trying to intimidate potential victims by telling them to pay bond money or risk going to jail.
Caledonia residents are being warned to be alert to phone calls from individuals who claim to be village police officers demanding money or risk going to jail.
Caledonia police Lt. Gary Larsen confirmed for Patch Tuesday that his department received two complaints over the weekend from two different residents who said they received calls.
"We had two complaints on Saturday where a caller states he is a police officer and the person needs to post a bond or they will be arrested," he said.
These residents did not give their credit card numbers, but Larsen said folks who do quickly discover their "bond" money ended up in Pakistan. The phone number that appeared on Caller ID indicated the calls originated somewhere in New York.
In Brookfield, callers are telling potential victims that they owe taxes and a warrant will be issued for their arrest if they don't pay up, according to a story on CBS 58 News.
Calls do sometimes appear on Caller ID with the name of a police department and a correct number, the CBS 58 story reads. But, to make the payment, unsuspecting citizens are asked to phone a different number.
Larsen and Brookfield police say the caller identifies himself as Officer O'Brien and may have an Indian accent.
A Waukesha man thwarted a similar effort, this time from a female caller who said the man was the target of a fraud investigation and he would be arrested if he didn't follow her orders.
When the man asked the woman for the police department's phone number, she was able to recite it correctly. But, when the man asked for the department's address, the woman got it wrong.
Since the man lives nearby, he told her he would walk over and speak to her supervisor. At that point, the woman said she couldn't meet with him any more.
Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete said he was not yet aware of any incidents, but warned residents to not give out credit card or any financial information, really, over the phone.
"It's just better to never give out financial information over the phone," he said.
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