This Oct. 24, 2016, AP file photo shows dollar bills in New York. Fraudsters are increasingly picking up the phone and trying to steal your money by pretending to be a government worker or a family member in trouble. Maryland State Police officials have issued warnings that MSP officers will never call residents and ask for money, and any calls of this nature are fraudulent.
This Oct. 24, 2016, AP file photo shows dollar bills in New York. Fraudsters are increasingly picking up the phone and trying to steal your money by pretending to be a government worker or a family member in trouble. Maryland State Police officials have issued warnings that MSP officers will never call residents and ask for money, and any calls of this nature are fraudulent.
CECIL COUNTY – Maryland State Police troopers never — under any circumstances — call residents and request money from them. So if you receive a phone call from someone who is representing himself or herself as an MSP trooper and is asking for any type of payment, that person is a fraud who is trying to scam you.
MSP officials emphasized that point Wednesday when they issued a statewide warning regarding the latest phone scam that is occurring in Maryland, one in which the callers impersonate troopers while soliciting money or financial information from the people who answer the phones.
“The impersonator states they need to obtain information from the caller due to a police investigation or they are asking for a donation to support law enforcement and their families. In some instances, the impersonator will use a real name of a law enforcement officer in an attempt to gain trust of the victim. The Maryland State Police does not call individuals and request money from citizens under any circumstances. Citizens are urged to be cautious of unsolicited phone calls,” an MSP spokesperson outlined.
It wasn’t clear Thursday if the callers had scammed or attempted to scam any Cecil County residents.
Aware that this phone scam is active in the state, having received complaints from citizens, MSP officials are offering the following tips:
* Never provide any personal identifying information over the telephone, unless you have verified the source.
* Never provide any payment information over the telephone, unless you have verified the source.
* The police will never call you and request money for fines, arrest warrants, fundraisers or for any other reason.
* If you do not trust the source and want to verify, look up the unit/group/barrack the caller said he or she is representing on the internet and call the listed number directly.
* If you believe you have provided information to a scammer, please immediately notify your financial institutions.
MSP officials also encourage citizens who believe that they have been the victim of a scam to contact their local police department or the Maryland State Police barrack that serves their area.
In addition, MSP officials are advising anyone who believes he or she has fallen victim to any type of online crime to file a complaint at ic3.gov
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.