Bridgeport police department warns of phone scam
Bridgeport has became the latest police department in Connecticut to warn residents about a phone scam in which callers reportedly claims to be representatives of the local force and “falsely assert criminal legal action in exchange for monetary funds.”
“The Bridgeport Police Department has been notified of multiple telephone calls regarding scammers impersonating members of the BPD who have attempted to extort individuals claiming they are delinquent for jury duty,” said Scott Appleby, the city’s emergency management director, in a news release on Sunday. “The scammers falsely claim the individual has an active arrest warrant for jury duty violations which requires them to pay a fine to be restored to good standing. These calls are fake and not made from anyone at the BPD.”
Appleby said the “Bridgeport Police Department or any other Government Agency will never solicit anyone for monetary funds.”
Such scams have become increasingly common in the recent past, according to federal court officials, who reported on their website that they had occurred in “various parts of the United States,” warning that “citizens are being targeted by phone calls and emails, threatening them with prosecution for failing to comply with jury service in federal or state courts.”
“Federal courts do not require anyone to provide any sensitive information in a telephone call or email,” officials said on the website. “Most contact between a federal court and a prospective juror will be through the U.S. mail, and any phone contact by real court officials will not include requests for Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or any other sensitive information.”
Bridgeport officials said those who receive such calls should “not give in to pressure to take immediate action,” such as suggestions to provide a credit card number or to send money.
They also suggested that residents avoid engaging in conversation, as the call could be recorded, and avoid traveling to a location of the scammer’s choice.
Similar calls were reported in Clintonand Tolland this week, according to their respective police departments.
In Clinton, scammers reportedly asked for bail money, officers said. “The Clinton Police Department is not going to call you and ask for bail money for anybody that you know or are related to,” police said. “This is a scam.”
Such scams were also reported in New Haven and Glastonbury in June and July, respectively, as well as in Fairfield this past February.
In Glastonbury, police warned calls had been make to look like they originated from the department through a common tactic called “spoofing.”
In that community, an individual providing the name “Officer Davis” said he was part of an investigation by the attorney general before instructing “the resident to go to a bank, get funds, transfer those funds into a different type of currency and wire them back to him.” police said at the time.
“Officer Davis” also gave the resident a phone number from Washington D.C. and told them to ask for “David Freidman” once the transaction was completed, according to police.
Those who have been victims of this scam in Bridgeport can contact the BPD Financial Crimes Unit, Detective Frank Podpolucha, at 203-581-5210.