South Milwaukee Police are warning residents of a scam aimed at scaring people to send money to avoid be arrested on a warrant from their local police department.
According to an email from the South Milwaukee Police Department:
The South Milwaukee Police Department received a report from an elderly resident that she had received several phone calls from a company trying to solicit money. The caller identified himself as being from the "Martinez Law Firm" in Lawrence, Kansas, with a phone number of (785) 371-3081. The caller told the resident if she did not pay $250 by 2 p.m. Friday that an arrest warrant would be issued for her.
A short time later, she received another call from a person giving the name of an officer who works for the South Milwaukee Police Department. The caller ID also showed that the call had originated from the South Milwaukee Police Department. The caller at this time threatened to arrest the woman on the warrant if she did not pay by 2 p.m. The resident then came to the police department to find out what was happening.
Investigation revealed that this is a scam that has been running and that the suspect caller had "spoofed" the number to make it appear that the call had come from the South Milwaukee Police Department. The first call was also determined to not have come from a law firm in Kansas. The call actually was found to have originated from somewhere in Pakistan. The caller confessed to running a scam to try to get money from people by saying they were the police.
Due to the international nature of this incident, enforcement actions will be difficult. The best protection is for residents to be aware of this scam and report these issues to their local police.
Residents should know that the South Milwaukee Police Department will not call people on the phone regarding these types of issues.
If you receive a phone call of this nature, please contact your local police department. The South Milwaukee Police Department's phone number is (414) 768-8060.
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