Police are warning parents and guardians of Cal State Fullerton students to be wary of scam callers impersonating law enforcement over the phone to obtain cash.
During such calls, oftentimes in the middle of the night, scammers claim to parents their child has been arrested, according to police. Callers usually say the child was pulled over during a traffic stop, and drugs were found in their vehicle.
The caller then tells parents to wire “bail money” for their child to be released from custody.
According to recent media reports, the city’s police said scammers always claim to be a detective or someone from the Fullerton Police Department.
Police said they have received multiple reports of similar calls over the last three weeks, and authorities suspect scammers research their targets before calling.
Scot Willey, chief of Cal State Fullerton’s own police department, said in a recent interview with KTLA News that scammers are now expanding their search for potential victims to parents living out of state, including Arizona and Nevada.
As of this week, police say no parents have yet fallen victim to the phone scam. Some parents who have been contacted, according to the police agency, were able to reach their children before realizing the call was a scam and confronted the callers who “immediately hung up.”
The university sent out a campus-wide warning to parents and students with a reminder that the police would never ask the public to wire funds for bail money.
Cal State Fullerton Police didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
The agency urges anyone who receives such calls to immediately hang up and contact police dispatch at 657-278-2515.
