Brookfield Police Warn Residents Of Scams

BROOKFIELD, CT — Police are warning Brookfield residents to avoid being scammed in the new year.

Phone calls, emails or text messages from people claiming to be from your bank, credit card company, phone/internet provider, or utility company frequently aren't, the police warned on social media.

Instead of responding to the suspicious inquiries directly, police suggest looking up the number for the bank or credit card company and calling them back.

"Don’t click on any links in any emails or text messages, and that includes links that indicate you should click them in order to 'opt-out' of any future messages," police warned.

"One of the telltale signs of a scam is a false sense of urgency," according to police. "The scammer doesn’t want you to think about what’s happening, they want you to worry about your electricity getting shut off, or your bank account being frozen, or something similar, so they try to convince you something bad will happen if you don’t act immediately."

A recent wave of national scams from callers impersonating court officials, U.S. Marshals, and other state and federal law enforcement officers threatened people with arrest for a missed summons for jury duty.

Police have warned Southington residents they have received multiple reports of residents claiming notifications via mail that a request for unemployment benefits has been filed in their name.

Residents of Tolland have been getting calls from a "sergeant" with the local police regarding "an arrest warrant for missing jury duty," according to town officials there.