SCAM PHONE CALLS - So have you ever gotten a phone call from someone who says they’re a law enforcement officer or detective…and they say you need to pay a fine or you’ll go to jail? This would jolt anybody. But According to Lt. Bill Davis with Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, these calls are scams. "The way they want you to pay that fine is through a pre-paid credit card, like a green-dot card or other means." explained Davis " And the criminals will get their money and be on their merry way and nothing changes with that particular person except they are out of the money." Davis says anyone that calls you and represents themselves as a law enforcement official and says you need to pay a fine using a cash-card or money order, is a "big red-flag" that it's not legitimate.
And if you're still not sure, here's what you can do. "What we encourage people at that point is to go ahead, try to get the name and number of the person who is calling and then callback to the number that you know is the correct one to that particular law enforcement agency and ask them if and say 'I just got a phone call from XYZ ' and go from there and most of the time they'll tell you 'no we didn't call you', it's a scam."
Anyone can become a scam victim ranging from police impersonators to phony sweepstakes and Lt. Davis says “if you need to send money over the phone or pay with a cash card or money order… it’s a scam. Never give out your bank account, credit card or social security number."
