Press Release: San Francisco Public Safety Officials Warn of Scam Spoofing the Police Phone Numbers

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2017
Contact: 
Francis Zamora, 415-760-8735, Department of Emergency Management
San Francisco Police Department Media Relations, 415-837-7395

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

San Francisco Public Safety Officials Warn of Scam Spoofing the Police Phone Numbers

San Francisco, CA – San Francisco public safety officials are informing the public about a consumer scam where aggressive telephone calls are being made by scammers posing as San Francisco Police Officers.  Concerned residents that received these calls today reported the scam to 9-1-1 dispatchers.

These callers claim they have a warrant for the call recipient’s arrest and demand payment in gift cards in order avoid arrest. Technology allows the scammer to “spoof” or alter the Caller ID to make it appear that the call is coming from the San Francisco Police Department’s Non-Emergency Number which is 415-553-0123.

Neither the San Francisco Police Department nor any other City and County of San Francisco agency will call you to demand payment and threaten arrest for any matter.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the SFPD or any other law enforcement or government agency demanding payment, immediately HANG UP. Under no circumstances should you engage them in conversation or provide any personal information.  Make notes about what the caller said and do one of the following:

If you’ve been targeted by this scam, please report the incident by completing the following online report: http://sanfranciscopolice.org/reports#file-report. You may also call 311 to file a harassing phone call report or go to any SFPD District Station to file a report.

 

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