‘Don’t believe it! It’s a scam!’: Asheville PD warns community of fake officers

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Asheville Police Department is warning residents of a phone scam in which someone is calling people stating they are an officer with the department.

We’re told the scammer poses as officers and tells residents they have outstanding warrants for failure to appear and that they would need to make payment, usually through providing a pin number with a prepaid card.

Police said this is a scam.

“It’s unfortunate that scammers try to prey on the fear of others with the threat of jail time,” said Capt. Jackie Stepp, Patrol Operations Division Captain in a news release. “Our officers are not going to call you over the phone to say you owe money and tell you to send the money in.”

Here are safety tips from police on how to avoid being a victim of this scam and others:

• If you receive a call from someone saying they are from the Asheville Police Department stating you have to send them money to keep from going to jail, do this:
  • Ask for their name and number, and tell them you will call them back.
  • Then contact APD at (828) 252-1110 to report the scam.
  • Or simply hang up.
• Never pay anything over the phone, unless you initiated the phone call and you are confident in the transaction and business or person with whom you are dealing.
• Do not provide sensitive information over the phone unless you know you are speaking with a trustworthy source.
• Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is (Ex: “You’ve won the sweepstakes and all you have to do is send in a $500 deposit).
• Scammers are typically good at what they do. Don’t let them lure you in!

You can also contact the Asheville Police Department anonymously via the tip line by texting TIP2APD to 847411 (TIP411) or use the TIP2APD smartphone app.