The San Marino Police Department recently took to social media to warn residents of scammers posing as law enforcement across Southern California.
The scheme involves scammers posing as trusted entities, such as police, to deceive individuals into surrendering money, personal information, or both.
The scammers will often contact their victims and advise them that they have a warrant for their arrest or inform them they are being fined for failing to appear in court. The scammers are known to keep their victim on the line and forbid them to speak to others or hang up.
To keep San Marino residents from falling prey to scams like this one, the SMPD has offered these tips:
• Be cautious if pressured to act immediately.
• Request specific information about the supposed issue to verify legitimacy.
• Confirm the authenticity of callers.
• Keep up to date with common scam tactics.
• Do not give out personal information.
• Contact the SMPD directly at (626) 300-0720 to speak to someone from the department or report a potential scam.
The SMPD officials stress that the department will never call anyone to collect fees, fines or payments ordered by a court.
First published in the March 7 issue of the San Marino Tribune
