An Internet & telephone scam in which thieves posing as members of the Chandler Police Department falsely inform people they are subjects of a variety of violations as a means of extorting money from them.
Either via email or phone calls, the suspect(s) claim that the victims are facing arrest over supposed failure to pay taxes or to appear for jury duty, or for some other purported offense.
Among the techniques the perpetrators use to make the pitch convincing are using the name of an actual police employee; giving the telephone number of a police station; presenting victims’ personal information, such as a former address or date of birth; and threatening jail time or driver’s-license revocation.
The pitches culminate with demands for money via a credit or debit card.
In some cases the thieves have employed a technique called “caller spoofing,” in which they make the incoming call appear to be coming from a legitimate government agency on caller-ID screens.
No Chandler Police sworn or non-sworn employee will ever contact members of the public by telephone to demand a payment of any kind. Anyone receiving such a call is asked to report the incident on the Federal Communications Commission website, fcc.gov/complaints, and notifying the Chandler Police Department at (480) 782-4130.