The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis (“the department”) is alerting citizens about a telephone scam that cost one victim thousands of dollars.
The 51-year old male victim was contacted by a male caller who identified himself as a law enforcement officer. The caller told the victim there was a warrant for his arrest due to back taxes owed.
The caller stated unless a payment was made immediately, the victim would be arrested by the Sheriff’s Department. The caller provided a telephone number and indicated it was the telephone number of an attorney handling the tax case.
The victim called the telephone number and was instructed by another male to purchase Money Pack cards in the amount of $8,000 to use as payment. Once the Money Pack cards were purchased, the victim was instructed to call the male and provide the numbers from the Money Pack cards.
Upon payment the victim was told the warrant was no longer active. The victim immediately contacted police as he became skeptical about what had occurred.
Investigation revealed the telephone call to be a scam. The suspects are still at large. At this time, the department has no knowledge of any similar incidents in the St. Louis area.
If you think you have been a victim of this scam, please call 911 to report it.
Law enforcement officers will never ask for payment over the telephone.
If you receive a phone call from a caller identifying themselves as a law enforcement officer and they ask for an immediate payment over the telephone, call 911.
The department urges citizens to verify the caller’s identity and purpose for calling before releasing any personal information over the
telephone.