Multiple people have received phone calls from scammers impersonating members of the Lafayette Police Department, police said in a news release.
Pretending to be officers, the scammers attempted to keep victims on the phone until they got money from them for missed court dates, arrest warrants, or other demands.
Lafayette Police reminded that officers never call and demand or request money from individuals over the phone.
“If you receive a call similar to this, do not engage in any conversation with the individuals and hang up the phone,” department spokesperson Sgt. Robin Green said in the news release.
The Acadiana region is not new to phone and online scams. In January, scammers posing as Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s deputies used a Bitcoin machine to steal money from victims by phone.
Last year, in February, Lafayette and Vermilion sheriff’s offices warned citizens of a scam in which the scammer was posing as a member of local law enforcement. Also in that case, the scammer claimed to have a warrant for the recipient’s arrest, demanding money in exchange for resolving it.
In April 2020, amid COVID-19’s first wave, other scammers were posing as IRS agents and contacting the public in Vermilion Parish by phone or email, informing them that their personal and bank information was needed to get the first $1,200 stimulus check.
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