City Of Sammamish: Scam Alert – Impersonating Sammamish Police Department

Press release from the City of Sammamish:

November 12, 2021

Sammamish Police Department wants the community to be aware of a scam that is currently active in our community. A resident recently lost a significant amount of money to a scammer using the real name of an SPD officer. Sometimes scams such as these will include spoofing a legitimate police agency phone number and using a real name in an attempt to gain the trust of the victim.

Please Remember

• Sammamish Police Department does not call individuals and demand or request money from community members under any circumstances
• Sammamish Police Department or any other legitimate law enforcement agency does not call community members seeking payment for outstanding traffic citations or warrants – this includes claims of unpaid federal or state taxes
• Individuals claiming to collect debts may try to instill fear in potential victims to persuade them to forward money

Tips to help avoid becoming a victim to A scam

• Never give personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller or email
• Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason
• Stay private. Regularly update privacy settings for social media sites. Scammers often make their stories more believable by trolling for personal information on Facebook, Twitter and similar sites.
• Utility companies and government agencies will never contact you for payment by GreenDot, MoneyPak or Vanilla Reload
• Never wire money, provide debit or credit card numbers to a stranger

For more information on scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Scam Alert website at www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts.

If you fall victim to these scammers with financial loss, you are encouraged to file a report by calling the Sammamish Police Department at (206) 296-3311.

This press release was produced by the City of Sammamish. The views expressed here are the author’s own.