Oct. 23--Central Ohio residents should be wary of a telephone scammer who claims to be a Columbus police officer in need of their personal information.
Columbus police learned of the scheme when the scammer recently called a retired Columbus police sergeant.
The caller said he was a city detective who was working for a New York company and wanted to help the would-be victim settle a debt with the business. The caller wanted sensitive personal and financial information, said Sgt. David Pelphrey, a division spokesman.
The retired sergeant recognized the pitch as a scam and reported the call, Pelphrey said.
The caller was savvy enough to mimic the Police Division's 645 telephone exchange, making it appear as though the call had originated within the division, police said.
Police stress that Columbus officers would never ask for sensitive personal or financial information over the telephone. Officers also do not conduct debt-collection investigations.
If you receive a questionable phone call from someone who might be impersonating an officer, ask the caller for his name, badge number and a telephone number where he can be reached. Then call the Columbus police investigative desk at 614-645-4624 and ask to be transferred to the officer.
If you think you have been a target of the scam, call the police radio room at 614-645-4545 to file a report.
Copyright 2012 - The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
