Police Phone Scam Prompts Warning In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Falls Church residents are warned of a recent scam involving spoofing of the police department phone numbers.

According to police, the scam falsely displays the Falls Church Police Department phone numbers on caller ID when calling victims. The caller pretends to be a Falls Church Police Department official and advises the victim to check the phone number where the call is coming from. The scammer then threatens arrest or uses other intimidation strategies to demand payment of money purportedly owed to the government.

The police department said in a statement, "The City of Falls Church Police Department will never call and request payment for fines, traffic tickets, or bail over the phone. All these transactions are conducted by the respective court systems and never over the phone. Police will also never call an individual to threaten arrest or remove an arrest warrant."

According to the FCC, spoofing scams involve callers falsifying information sent to your caller ID to disguise their identity. Scammers often make calls appear to come from a local number, a trusted company, or government agency and try to steal your money or personal information.

Police urge victims to hang up and call the police non-emergency number 703-241-5050 to confirm you are speaking with a legitimate official within the Falls Church Police Department. If you receive a suspicious call, avoid giving out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, or passwords. You can file spoofing scam reports with the FCC.

For more tips on avoiding spoofing scams, visit www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id.