LOGAN — Law enforcement is again alerting the public about a phone scam that continues to steal thousands of dollars from citizens in northern Utah. The scammers use different disguises to pose as law enforcement, utility companies, court clerks and others.
North Park Police Chief Kent Goodrich said they learned earlier this week that scammers were posing as their police officers, telling people they had a warrant and would be arrested unless the person sent a large amount of Apple Gift Cards and use it as payment.
“Our USU Police Department notified us that our phone number was being used as part of this scam, trying to get people to send gift cards there,” said Goodrich. “Because that is a legitimate phone number, there was a concern that people were actually buying into it.”
Victims have reported the scammers sound official and will make it appear that they are calling from an official phone number. In some cases, they will have even gathered information about the victims on social media.
Goodrich said the callers will also make the victims feel like if they don’t resolve this immediately something bad will happen.
“The (scammers) will say, ‘You have a warrant for your arrest and if you don’t do this then the police will come and arrest you, you’ll go to jail and lose your job.’ They focus a lot on tactics of fear and intimidation.”
The police department does not contact people by phone to advise them they have warrants. If you receive a phone call like this, it is highly likely to be a scam.
Goodrich explained that one of the first clues citizens should be on the lookout for is when someone requests payment in the form of gift cards.
“The police, not only North Park Police Department but any agency is not going to call people up and say ‘send us gift cards to take care of your warrant.’ That is not how the police operate. That should be a good sign for people right there, if someone is asking for gift cards, services or money that is not how the police operate.”
The police department is again asking people to report any fraudulent contact and do not send, transfer, or arrange payment for warrants or bail money without speaking to law enforcement or court clerks in person.