Be a #hanguphero
Please be aware of a phone scam that is reportedly circulating in the area. The scam involves the caller identifying themselves as an employee for a Law Enforcement agency (such as Customs and Border Patrol). They say that you possibly have pending criminal charges and/or a warrant for your arrest for some obscure reason. They will try to scare you and obtain personal information, or otherwise send them payment over the phone to “take care of” the warrant. This recent scammer went as far as saying, “You don’t believe me? Here, talk to Chief Derzis,” while handing the phone to some unknown person.
This is NOT how legitimate government business is done. Keep these tips in mind:
• Simply hang up. (if they give you a call back number, DON’T call it back!)
• Never give personal information (even your phone number) to a stranger over the phone (on received calls).
• Never send money, gift card information, itunes card information, or ANY other type of payment to a stranger over the phone.
• If you have questions about the call, hang up and call a family member or trusted friend so you can ask their opinion. You can also call Hoover PD Dispatch non-emergency at 205-822-5300.
If they say you have a warrant, contact Hoover Municipal Court directly to verify: http://www.hooveral.org/237/Recall-Procedure
You can report scam phone calls directly to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/
You can also report to the federal Treasury Inspector General: https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml
#hooverpd#themoreyouknow#communitypolicing
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Officer Brian Hale, Public Information Officer
205-739-6050
