Scammers recently spoofed the Irvine Police Department’s Caller Identification in at least two reported incidents where they pretended to be police officers, demanding personal information and large sums of money, a spokesperson for the department said.
“Overall, it’s just kind of a rolling issue whether it’s Edison or the Water District or Amazon or Netflix, it just seems to be an ongoing issue with people spoofing entities and agencies,” Irvine Police Department’s Kyle Oldoerp told The Epoch Times.
Last week, police were notified one victim had received a phone call from what appeared to be Irvine Police investigating a fraudulent charge and demanding $600,000, Oldoerp said.
Other tactics include claiming there’s an issue with one’s immigration paperwork or a warrant out for one’s arrest, he said.
So far no one has fallen for the trap in recent cases, but the scammers will try any means possible to take advantage of victims, Oldoerp said.
“They’re trying to get someone to act during the phone call,” he said.
Police will never ask for personal banking information, credit card numbers, or other payment types over the phone. If you receive a suspicious call from Irvine Police, ask for the officer’s name, badge number, or the case number before hanging up and calling law enforcement for verification, Oldoerp said.
