Adrian Police Department warns of phone scam after woman falls victim
ADRIAN — The Adrian Police Department is reminding the public to be vigilant, smart and aware when it comes to possible phone scams after the department addressed such an issue last week.
Adrian police detectives said they received a suspicious call Friday, Oct. 6, from an elderly woman indicating she needed police assistance for an unknown problem, according to a news release. Detectives discovered she had fallen victim to a scammer pretending to be an employee of the United States Federal Trade Commission.
“The scammer had tricked the elderly woman into withdrawing $18,000 cash from her bank and was still on the phone threatening to arrest her if she did not send him the money,” the release said. “Detectives spoke with the scammer but were hung up on.”
The scammer then proceeded to call the elderly woman’s phone again using what's called spoofing software to make the phone number appear on her Caller ID as 517-264-4808, the phone number of the Adrian Police Department. A detective answered the call, the release said, and the scammer claimed to be “Officer David Wesson.”
“When confronted, the scammer threatened to arrest the detectives for interfering,” APD said. “He was instructed to come down to the police department and try to make an arrest but has not yet shown up.”
Spoofing software, police said, allows Caller ID to be modified, meaning Caller ID should not automatically be trusted.
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“Additionally, no federal agency or business will ever request that cash be mailed,” the release said. “Many scammers offer fake badge numbers or customer service representative numbers to sound more believable. Do not believe a caller’s identity unless you know the caller or can confirm they are who they claim to be. When in doubt, hang up and call the entity’s phone numbers posted on official websites.”
Anyone who believes someone is trying to scam them should contact Detective Kevin Putnam by calling 517-264-4819 or they can submit information via email to kputnam@adrianmi.gov.
If someone has fallen victim to a scam and they need assistance, call Adrian police at 517-264-4808 to speak with an officer.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian police warn of phone scam
