The Brockport Police Department (BPD) would like to inform the public about a consumer scam that has been brought to our attention. Complaints have been received that individuals identifying themselves as law enforcement personnel (calling from the BPD office number 585-637-1020) have contacted them under the ruse of collecting money for outstanding bills, tickets or loans.
In these cases the scammer uses a law enforcement angle to attempt to add legitimacy and urgency to the hoax by threatening arrest or prosecution. These scams always ask for money to be wired via Western Union, MoneyGram, or Greendot “MoneyPaks”, in order to avoid prosecution. Often times they use the actual names of law enforcement personnel to enhance the credibility of the scam.
Scammers are increasingly using “Magic Jack” or VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Magic Jack and VOIP are simply making phone calls thru a computer network. With this technology it is easy to make phone calls or conduct scams that appear to be local but are not. In these cases, the scammer can obtain a local area code yet they are physically located overseas. Since the money is almost always transferred overseas, law enforcement officials are unable to investigate the crime and the wire service is unable to reimburse the funds.
Law enforcement agencies will not attempt to collect fines or outstanding debt from citizens. Anytime someone you don’t personally know asks for any type of wire transfer, there is a 99 percent chance it is a scam.
Citizens should also be reminded to never give out their personal information in response to an unsolicited phone call or email.
As always, any requests for comment or questions regarding this release should be directed to Chief Mark Cuzzupoli at 637-1020 during regular business hours.
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