Scottsdale police warn about phone scammers posing as officers, seeking payments

PHOENIX – The Scottsdale Police Department is warning citizens that if they get a phone call from police threatening to arrest them if they don’t pay off a warrant, it’s a scam.

The callers are telling targeted victims they have to make a payment by credit card, gift card or money order if they want to stay out of jail.

“The scammers try to convince you this is real, a very serious matter and threaten you will be arrested if you don’t pay them,” Scottsdale Police said in a press release. “They may have personal information about you obtained through open-source internet and social media searches.”

The fraudsters are enhancing their ruse by using software that makes the calls appear to be coming from the police department.

Police employees will never try to collect payment to clear a warrant.

Warrant information is not released by phone. Anybody with questions about a warrant should contact the courts or visit a police station.

“If you receive a call from someone saying they are a police officer, claiming you have a warrant which needs to be paid for over the phone, hang up and call your local police department’s nonemergency number,” the release said.

The Scottsdale nonemergency number is 480-312-5000.

Follow @KTAR923