Bellingham police issue social media warning about active scam in the area
The Bellingham Police Department put out a warning via social media Tuesday afternoon that somebody using its phone number to scam people.
According to a Twitter post Sept. 8, scammers are spoofing the department’s main phone number. The scammers then announce that they are a police lieutenant and say that their prospective targets have missed jury duty and owe a fine.
“We do NOT call people about missing jury duty or attempt to get payment via gift card purchase. IT IS A SCAM,” the post read.
According to the department’s Nextdoor.com post about the scam, callers are using the name of a retired lieutenant in the call.
“We DO NOT call people about missing jury duty. We DO NOT threaten people they have to pay immediately or go to jail. Any fines you may have are NEVER collected via a purchase of a gift card,” the Nextdoor post read.
In addition, the post offered these tips if you suspect someone is trying to scam you:
▪ Hang up.
▪ Call the court to ensure that a jury is actually being called, especially as court dockets are much shorter due to COVID-19.
▪ Never stay on the phone while you go to the store to buy gift cards — “that is a guaranteed scam.”
▪ Watch out for vulnerable people in your life to help them avoid falling victim.
“These rules apply to many of the other scams folks are using to take advantage and get money from people,” post read.
The Federal Trade Commission asks that you report all scam attempts to the FTC and local law enforcement.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 2:57 PM.
