The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has issued a warning about scammers impersonating deputies and calling on people to demand fines for not responding to pending citations or warrants.
Many of the victims targeted by the scammers are elderly, and all of the victims were coerced into making payments in the form of gift cards, Bitcoin or prepaid credit cards for fear of arrest, officials said. sheriff.
Scammers often use the names of actual LASD personnel.
A Bellflower man has been arrested for allegedly impersonating an LAPD detective to steal money from Spanish-speaking maintenance workers looking for jobs.
Authorities are urging people not to comply with a demand for payment by phone, email or other means of communication from anyone claiming to be an LASD employee. LASD will never request payment over the phone or by email.
The scammers also claimed to be from other government or law enforcement agencies.
What should you do if you receive a call asking for money?
A government agency or trusted business will never request payment using unconventional methods, such as gift or store cards, Apple gift cards, wire transfers or bitcoins, sheriff officials said.
They also advised to follow the following recommendations:
People should not feel rushed by a threatening call.
A viewer fell into one of the most reported frauds every day: she thought she was protecting her bank account, but in reality those who contacted her were the same scammers, pretending to be bank employees.
Hang up and verify your story through an independent source, not the contact information provided by the impersonator.
Never send money or give bank account, credit card, or personal information to anyone you don’t know or trust, including your date of birth or your social Security number.
Anyone contacted by a copycat should call the sheriff’s department, local police or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.