Gilroy Police Phone Scam Advisory Issued

GILROY, CA – Authorities are advising the public to be aware of a phone scam by those falsely claiming to represent the Gilroy Police Department.

The GPD announced in a statement on its Facebook page that the agency has received multiple reports from community members stating that someone contacted them falsely claiming to be police personnel.

Law enforcement impersonators in these types of scams oftentimes are aggressive in their approach, tell a community member that there is a warrant for their arrest, and request a payment.

“Sometimes scams such as these will include spoofing a legitimate police agency phone number and using a real name of a law enforcement officer in an attempt to gain the trust of the victim,” the statement said.

“They will also leave messages with a callback phone number that is not associated with the police department.”

The GPD said it does not call individuals and demand or request money under any circumstances.

Anyone who believes they’ve received a fraudulent call is encouraged to disconnect and is asked to call GPD's Non-Emergency line at (408) 846-0350. Callers are able to do so without providing any personal information.