NH Police Chief Records Call With Social Security Number Scammer

RYE, NH — Scammers are rampant these days and police departments across the country, including New Hampshire, are fielding reports from citizens who are losing money and having their credit harmed due to criminals targeting others online and on the phone. In a Facebook video posted Friday, one Seacoast police chief showed how easy it is to get drawn into the relentless fear the scammers placed upon ordinary citizens – but with a little persistence, too, you don't have to be a victim. Chief Kevin Walsh of the Rye Police Department received a message from a scammer who told him his personal information was used to rent a vehicle in Texas and that vehicle was used in a crime.

Walsh called the scammer back and his team videoed the conversation with the scammer, with the chief playing along, while the scammer threatened to send authorities after the chief.

The point of videoing the call, according to Walsh, was to give a visual opportunity for people to see how relentless the scammers are but also to note there were ways of not becoming a victim of the scammer, too.

"Never ever give that (information) over the phone," he said of specific, personal info, like a Social Security number, banking account numbers, or a date of birth.

The scammers, Walsh added, were dangerously clever, too, using "scare tactics" like the arrest warrant threat under the auspices of clearing the victim when they never did anything wrong in the first place.

"The amount of reports police are taking daily shows the success these people are having stealing from our most valued people in our community," Walsh said. "We all need to talk and warn each other."

It is also, he noted, important to look after family members and friends, especially the elderly, to remind them to be vigilant.

"(I'm) calling my parents again," said Walsh. "My mother says she's on her A game but I check anyways."

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