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Police in Middle Tennessee are urging residents to be wary of a new scam that sees callers impersonating law enforcement officers to trick unsuspecting victims, per FOX 17.
In a post on the department's official Facebook page, the Clarksville Police Department warned residents that they have received several reports of a scam phone calls from someone claiming to be a member of the department. Calling the practice "Caller ID spoofing," the caller manipulates the caller identification to make it appear as though the call is from a local number, including CPD's number 931-648-0656. In some cases, the caller has given the victim the name of an individual who has worked, or currently works, for the department.
"These individuals are trying to scam the caller out of money by making some sort of threat of an arrest unless they make a payment," the post states, in part. "The Clarksville Police Department will never request anyone to make a payment over the phone. No Law Enforcement agency will accept money to resolve a warrant, they will serve the warrant on you or direct you to turn yourself in."
The post continued, "The Clarksville Police Department wants to remind everyone that they should never provide personal information over the phone unless it is a business transaction that you have initiated."