Scammers Spoof Evanston Police Phone Number, Demand Payment

EVANSTON, IL — Police warned residents not to trust phone calls that appear to come from the police department after getting word of several scam calls coming from fake Evanston cops. On Monday alone, four residents reported getting calls from someone purporting to be with Evanston police. Calling from a number that appears to be the department's non-emergency line, the caller claims the resident missed a jury summons and has a warrant for their arrest.

With the threat of arrest from a fictitious warrant as motivation, the caller demands $2,500 and instructs the targets of the scam to go to the Office Depot, buy a particular type of prepaid card, load money onto it and provide the card number. In at least one case, the resident

While those who ignore summons to serve on juries risk being potential fines and being held in contempt of court, local police have no role in the process and none of it is handled over the phone. According to state law, prospective jurors must first be notified via the mail. If they do not respond, the a representative of the county sheriff is supposed to go to their home and deliver the summons directly. In no circumstances do any law enforcement agencies call people up and request that people purchase prepaid gift card or reloadable cards and read them the numbers.

Caller identification can be easily fooled to make any call appear to come from any number. Similarly, any email can appear to come from any address even if it was not the authentic sender. Other similar scams include callers claiming to be from the IRS or the Social Security Administration, which can also have the added air of legitimacy provided by a spoofed return number. Sometimes the scammers ask their victims to "verify" their social security numbers, other times they threaten to cut off electricity or benefits.

Scam callers can be reported online to the Federal Trade Commission or texted to the Evanston Police Department by typing EPDTIP to 274367. Police recommended asking for the name of the person calling any time someone appears to be calling from the police department. After getting the callers name, hang up and call the department's non-emergency line at 847-866-5000 to confirm the authenticity of the call.

In the case of the recent spate of scam calls in Evanston, the caller claims to be Sgt. Joe Bush, an actual member of the city's police department. Earlier this month, Bush was one of 12 detectives named in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for nearly five years for a murder he was later determined not to have committed.