Springfield, Longmeadow PDs warn of scams with officers demanding Bitcoin, other payments
SPRINGFIELD — Scammers impersonating two police sergeants, one of whom has retired, have been calling residents in Springfield and Longmeadow, trying to cheat people out of money by claiming to have an arrest warrant charging them with failure to show up for jury duty.
More than a dozen people have notified the Springfield Police Department about the calls they've received this week, and Longmeadow police also have fielded multiple reports since many scams are targeting their residents, said Ryan Walsh, Springfield police spokesman.
The calls are part a string of Springfield scams that have cheated area residents out of more than $624,000 over the past 18 months. Previous ones had callers mainly pretending to be Hampden sheriff's deputies.
Over the past few days, people have been receiving calls from the fake police sergeants, saying they have an urgent and confidential matter, and demanding a return call. When people do call back, the scammer pretends to have a warrant for their arrest and says they can cancel it by making a payment through a Bitcoin machine. Some call for other forms of payment.
No police officer or other law enforcement will ever demand payment of Bitcoin, gift cards or any other type to cancel a warrant, bail people out of jail or for any other action, Walsh said.
So far, police do not know of any victims. Anyone who receives a call is urged to hang up and not call the number back. People should call police at 413-787-6355 if they did give any money to a scammer or if they want to verify a call is real before providing money, he said.
Read the original article on MassLive.
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