The Scottsdale Police Department has issued a warning to residents to be on alert if they get a phone call from police threatening arrest if their warrant is not paid. This is a scam and anyone receiving a call like this should disregard the information and not offer any type of payment.
The scammers are calling citizens and informing their potential victims that there is a warrant for arrest for them and they must make a payment by credit card, gift card or money order if they do not want to be arrested.
The scammers are attempting to convince the citizen that this is a real and very serious matter. With the threat of an arrest if you don’t pay them, is a huge fear tactic. Scammers are able to obtain personal information on their potential victims through open-source internet and social media searches which makes it easy to discuss their fake potential threat to the person receiving the call.
To make the situation worst, the scammers now have the ability to use use software that project the calls on call ID and give the impression they are coming directly from the police department.
The warning from the police is that employees will never attempt to collect payment to clear a warrant over the phone. It has and never will be protocol and citizens need to be aware so they are not taken advantage of.
Warrant information is never released over the phone. Anybody with concerns or questions pertaining to a warrant should contact the courts or visit a police station.
The Scottsdale police are suggesting that if you receive a call from someone saying they are a police officer, claiming you have a warrant which needs to be paid for over the phone, hang up and call your local police department’s nonemergency number.
The Scottsdale nonemergency number is 480-312-5000.
