GARDEN CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — Garden City Police want to remind you that if you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be law enforcement saying you have fines to pay or you’re going to jail, it is still a scam.
They say they have been contacted by several residents who reported receiving the scam calls. One reported receiving a call from Corporal Lobmeyer telling them that they had outstanding court fines from an accident and needed to pay up to clear their criminal history.
No law enforcement agency will ever call you asking you to pay a fine. The scammers use fear, intimidation, and urgency to convince their victims to give them money.
Typically, scammers will ask their victims to purchase some type of gift card and give them the card information or convince them to buy bitcoins and transfer the bitcoins to them. Once the scammers have the information, there is little that can be done to recover the money, and the victims are left to deal with whatever financial burden it may cause them.
The Garden City Police Department says if you receive a phone call from anyone claiming to be from any law enforcement agency, hang up. Then, call or visit the actual agency to verify if the call was legitimate.
If you think you may be the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement agency as soon as possible. The Federal Trade Commission offers these tips on how to avoid being scammed.
