Scammers posing as Atlanta Police officers to get your money
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Police Department is warning the community about a new scam popping up throughout Atlanta.
Carlos Campos, the APD Director of Public Affairs said scammers somehow duplicated the phone number to APD's Zone One Precinct. "They are essentially using the actual number for our Zone One Precinct in Northwest Atlanta and are calling people identifying themselves as an APD officer," Said Campos.
The number to be on the lookout for is: 404-799-2488. That is the actual number for APD's Zone One Precinct, but the scammers have somehow duplicated this number to use for their own calls.
"They say they are helping with an IRS tax matter," Campos said. Then, the caller will ask for your personal information and social security number.
APD said they've gotten several reports of the same scam. "Our Zone One Precinct has literally been flooded with calls from people saying this is happening," said Campos.
APD is hoping this warning will keep people and their identities safe. "They prey upon people's wanting to do the right thing and make sure they're paid up, but the fact is that the IRS doesn't do that and the Atlanta Police Department doesn't do that," said Campos of calling community members to get personal information.
APD said here's what you can do if you think you're getting a bogus call from the police department:
- Ask the caller for a callback number.
- Ask the caller for his or her full name.
- Ask the caller for the full name of his or her supervisor.
Usually, if the caller is a scammer, this will be enough to get the scammer to hang up.