July 26, 2023 – No one from a law enforcement agency will call you to demand money and tell you that you are under investigation.
This is a scam that criminals typically complete by calling or emailing you.
July 26th, the Clovis Police Department took a police report where an elderly Clovis resident fell victim to a criminal when a large amount of money was fraudulent obtained.
The criminal called the victim pretending to be the Clovis Chief of Police and “spoofed” our phone number to make it seem legitimate.
Spoofing is when the caller purposely falsifies the caller ID information to disguise their real phone number.
Two criminals spoke to the victim multiple time a day over the period of a week to convince them to send a large amount of money to another state in lieu of arrest.
If you receive a phone call, text message, or email, always be vigilant.
Criminals copy business, agency logos, and contact information in an attempt to trick you into being the victim of fraud.
Here are some helpful tips on how to avoid a scam from the Federal Trade Commission:
-Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.
-Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Honest organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
-If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
-Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
-Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, a payment app, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
-Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
Next, we are going to ask you to click on a link for more information on how to avoid being scammed.
This link is to the official website for the Federal Trade Commission.
Our government Facebook page is verified and that is shown by the blue check next to our name.
These are signs you can look for when on social media to verify you’re viewing an official legitimate account.
Tips on how to avoid being scammed:
If you have been the victim of a scam, please report it to your local law enforcement agency.
If you live in the City of Clovis, call our non-emergency phone number anytime at (559) 324-2800.