Canton Police Warn of Scammers Impersonating Law Enforcement

CANTON, Ohio (News Talk 1480 WHBC) – The Canton Police Department says they have been seeing an increase in thefts by deception.

And many times, the scammers on the phone are claiming to be the very people sending out this message.

The police department says people claiming to be with law enforcement will say a relative has outstanding arrest warrants.

And thay they should send cash or provide a gift card number in order to get the person bailed out.

CPD Investigations Commander Captain Dave Davis says it’s never a good idea to mail cash.

He says no company or government agency will ever ask for gift card information.

They say other scammers are impersonating Social Security or Amazon employees.

All are very demanding and ask for immediate action.

Captain Davis says the best thing to do is to hang up.

Here are tips from the CPD:

 Never share personal information such as your social security number, date of birth or home address over the telephone or online to any source you do not know and trust.

 Never provide financial information like bank account number, credit card numbers or computer login information to anyone who contacts you on the telephone or online.

 Do not react out of fear! You have the right to verify the caller’s identity.

 If you do not know the caller and are unsure of what to do, just hang up.

 If you notice a missed call from an unknown number, do not call the number back.

 Legitimate companies DO NOT request payment in gift cards.