Suspect Impersonates Police: Officials Warn Lamorinda Residents of Latest Scams

MORAGA, CA — The Moraga Police Department is alerting residents to several old Bay Area phone scams that have recently resurfaced in Contra Costa County and the East Bay.

Moraga police officials said the scammers call residents claiming to be from the police department to notify the caller that they have a warrant. The caller, who identifies themselves as an officer, asks for money in order to keep the court from arresting the victim. The caller may tell the victim they have missed a jury summons and face prosecution.

Police officials said the callers may also identify themselves as an official with the Internal Revenue Service, and tell the intended target they owe taxes. The victim is told they must pay fines or fees to avoid prosecution.

The scammer may reach out to the victim by email, robocall or pretend to be a family member in need of money. Another, disturbing scam targets the victim’s computer information. Police say the suspect tells the victim they need remote access to their computer system in order to investigate a computer issue.

“Generally, the scammers rent or purchase phone numbers in bulk that can, in turn, be used by a software program that automatically dials victims,” police said in a statement. “The scammers and phone number can either be masked to make it appear that they are calling from the IRS or from local law enforcement, or the scammers use the numbers for a short period of time and then get new numbers to continue their scams. Unfortunately, this makes the fraudsters difficult to locate and prosecute. Sometimes, the callers are even located outside the United States.”

Police advise residents to be skeptical and avoid giving out social security numbers, credit card information or other personal identifying or financial information to any unsolicited caller. Similar scams have recently been reported across East Bay. Report scam calls to the Federal Trade Commission or by calling 1-888-382-1222.

Related:

• Phone, Email Scams Target Computers and Wallets, Danville Police Say

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