ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department is warning residents of someone using several police department numbers to make threatening phone calls to citizens and demanding money to clear citations.
Police officials say no one from the police department will call you soliciting money to clear an outstanding warrant or parking ticket. This tactic is commonly known as phone spoofing and it occurs when a scammer makes a false number appear on your caller ID, in an attempt to impersonate someone else.
Officer Anthony Grant offers these tips to prevent becoming a victim of phone spoofing:
1. Do not answer calls from unknown numbers or press any buttons to unsubscribe from these calls.
2. Never share personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers, or other identifying information to an unknown caller.
3. Verify that the number calling is authentic when someone claims to represent a business or government agency. Hang up and call the number on your account statement or look up the correct number on the company’s website.
4. Research call blocking tools through your phone company or mobile phone applications.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to represent the Atlanta Police Department, but the number does not appear to be authentic, gather as much information as you can, then hang up and dial 9-1-1 to report the incident.
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