Southold Police Warn Of 'Spoofing' After Calls Made To Residents With Department's Number

SOUTHOLD, NY — Southold Town police are warning residents about potential "spoofing" incidents involving the police department's administrative phone number.

According to Southold Town Police Chief Steve Grattan, on February 24 and 25, Southold Police dispatch received several calls from residents asking whether the police department had attempted to contact them.

The callers reported having missed calls from the Southold Police Department's administrative phone number, 631-765-2600, indicating that someone may be "spoofing" the department’s phone number, he said.

"At this time, none of the individuals who reported the calls answered them, and no voicemail messages were left. Some residents also reported that their phone carrier flagged the call as potential spam," he said.

Grattan added: "Residents should be aware that our dispatchers will always identify themselves by the agency name and their operator number when making a call. You will never receive a recording with prompts directing your call, and department personnel will never request sensitive personal or financial information over the phone."

Anyone who believes they may have received a suspicious call appearing to come from the Southold Police Department is asked to hang up immediately and call the department's administrative number directly at 631-765-2600 to verify.

"There has been no disruption to police services," Grattan said.