Amarillo Police Department warns of new scam using actual photos, crime numbers
The Amarillo Police Department's Violent Crimes detectives have been made aware of a new scam affecting citizens here in Amarillo.
According to a news release, the scammer is sending text messages using actual photos and crime numbers from APD's social media and website. "With this information, the scammer is making threats to arrest the victims if they don’t pay money for crimes they didn’t commit. The scammer is saying they are Amarillo Officers and that the photo is of them, and the stats are their arrest numbers and crimes solved," the release states.
The Amarillo police will never text and/or threaten any citizen for money to pay for a crime. If you receive any calls, texts, emails, etc. threats, call your local law enforcement agency.
If these messages were from a real police officer, their behavior would be a crime that needed to be investigated. This is a scam.
Those who may have experienced something like this scam should , call and make an online or phone report, via 806-378-3038, or go to their website, Amarillopolice.org, and you make a report there.
APD also has a podcast talking about scams and what to watch out for, what to do if you get scammed, and how to protect yourself. Citizens can listen to this podcast on the Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, the Amarillo PD YouTube channel, and the Amarillo PD Facebook page.
Don’t be a victim of scams. If you think something is wrong, disconnect, contact someone you know and trust and always ask questions, APD says.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Police Department warns of new scam using actual crime info
