FOLSOM, Calif. — Folsom police warned residents Wednesday of phone scammers pretending to be law enforcement inquiring about arrest warrants.
Officers took to social media to explain they had nothing to do with scammers calling residents from a Folsom Police Department phone number and informing them there is a warrant out for their arrest.
“We don't call and give you a heads up on a warrant,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “We don't take payments of any type to make the warrant go away. Nope, not even in the form of gift cards, GreenDot cards or Bitcoin.”
Police said no one should provide the scammers with funds, gift cards or cyber currency.
“Scammers can spoof practically any phone number so your caller ID thinks the call is coming from someone it is not,” the department said.
Detective Andrew Graham said scams like these take place nationwide and the scammers know which area codes they are pretending to be and what jurisdictions operate there.
The department has no information on Wednesday’s scammers, and the calls are often almost untraceable, Graham said. If someone does fall victim to the scam, they should file a report with the police department which would prompt an investigation, he said.
Police said they mainly drafted a post to prioritize scam prevention.
If someone receives a scam call, they should simply hang up, Graham said. He warned against residents providing scammers with one’s name, date of birth or address.
“Hang up. Block the phone number, and don’t provide any payment or personal information,” he said.
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