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Vinton Residents Receiving Scam Calls from Police Department Phone Number

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Vinton Residents Receiving Scam Calls from Police Department Phone Number

Published February 2, 2021

The Vinton Police Department is warning residents of scam phone calls that appear to be coming from the department phone number.
 
From the Vinton Police Department:
 
SCAM ALERT: The Vinton Police Department received a complaint that citizens are receiving phone calls from the police department phone number (337-589-3561). If answered, the suspect tells the victim they are being pursued by the US Marshals then demands a gift card for payment of an outstanding warrant. In an attempt to get the victim’s personal information, they ask for their social security number and date of birth to “verify the warrant.”
Please DO NOT provide any information. The suspects are using an application to disguise their phone number as the police department’s.
Residents in Vinton, as well as other areas, should be aware that “spoofing” applications used to disguise caller ID information is commonly used by scammers in scams like the one mentioned by the Vinton Police Department. If you get a call from someone who says they are from a company, police department, or other government agency, do not answer any questions. Hang up the phone and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.