Redmond detectives are investigating several cases of a fraudster posing as Redmond Police and conning money out of victims. The scam is targeting users of popular dating websites and employs aggressive threats and intimidation to convince the victims to send money.
This scheme is particularly believable as the thief is identifying themselves by the name of an actual Redmond police officer. The victims are given a Redmond phone number to contact and the crook has even set up a voicemail identifying themselves by the name of an RPD lieutenant.
So far Redmond police have received three reports from people who have been targeted by this particular ruse.
While the scam is quite convincing, RPD would like to remind people that police and government agencies do not demand payment in cash or gift cards over the phone.
There are numerous variants of this fraud currently circulating. Some include thieves posing as Department of Homeland Security, the IRS, immigration officials, and state and local law enforcement.
We encourage people to call the Redmond Police non-emergency line at 425-556-2500 if they feel they have been targeted by one of these hoaxes. More information on scams and frauds: www.usa.gov/common-scams-frauds.
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