Youngstown police say scam callers pretending to be police collecting fines over phone
The Youngstown Police Department wants to clarify some information after spoof callers claiming to be from the department have been targeting several Mahoning County residents.
According to Capt. Jason Simon, chief of detectives at YPD, said that the department has received several calls from concerned citizens about being contacted by detectives asking them to pay their fines over the phone.
There’s been an uptick in scam callers asking residents to pay money electronically under the guise of being police.
In all the reports, Simon said the spam caller used an actual phone number assigned to the department and pretended to be an employee.
“The caller will typically introduce themselves -- again, using a real employee’s name-- and tell the recipient that they owe fines, have a warrant for their arrest, that they’ve been indicted or other legal jargon meant to confuse and catch the recipient off-guard,” said Simon.
YPD investigators do call people about current cases they’re investigating, but officers will never tell you to send money over the phone.
“In no instance will the Youngstown police, or any government agency, call to collect money over the phone, ask you to purchase gift cards, request personal identifying information or pictures of your ID or passport or other such action,” said Simon.
If you receive one of these scam calls or feel suspicious about the caller, Simon recommends checking with police first.
“Feel free to tell the caller that you will call back the Youngstown Police Department (or whatever agency they are pretending to be from) and ask for them by name,” said Simon. “This way, you can be sure you are speaking with and providing information to an actual employee of the agency.”
