Las Vegas police officials’ names used in imposter scam, authorities say
The Metropolitan Police Department is warning the public of a phone scam that they say involves the use of LVMPD officials’ names.
The department advised of the scam in posts shared on its social media pages.
Las Vegas police said in the posts that the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Las Vegas office are aware of the imposter scams that involve callers claiming to be law enforcement officials.
The warnings advised that the calls look like they are coming from official numbers and scammers sometimes even provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials, federal judges and courthouse addresses.
These scammers have been using LVMPD officials’ names as well, the department noted.
Typically, according to police, the caller tries intimidating the victim into paying a fine for missed jury duty, identity theft claims, or other offenses to prevent arrest.
According to LVMPD, here are some tips on what to look out for if you find a call to be suspicious:
- Law enforcement/government will never ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers
- Demand your bank routing and account numbers for wire transfers
- Request Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency deposits for any purpose
- Never divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers
Police advised that if you receive a call that is likely scam, you should report it to your local FBI offices and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.