Gig Harbor police don’t want you to fall for this scam. Here’s what to look for
The Gig Harbor Police Department is warning residents about a common scam.
This week the agency received two reports that someone is calling people posing as the GHPD asking for money.
“It’s like many other phone scams going on, where they call up and try to intimidate somebody into sending them money, usually in the form of gift cards,” Gig Harbor Police Chief Kelly Busey said.
According to the reports the scammer is posing as “Gig Harbor Police Department Warrants Division” and saying that there is an outstanding arrest, a warrant out and that officers are on their way over unless the person can post bail over the phone, Busey said.
“They tell them to get them some form of gift card and give the number over the phone ... . One of the people that called us today said she received this call and she had never even been to Gig Harbor before,” Busey said April 19.
The GHPD announced via social media that it is not their officers calling.
The call is not coming from a blocked number. When GHPD officers call the number back it goes to a voicemail saying: “You have reached the Gig Harbor Police Department Warrant Department,” and asks the caller to leave a name and number, Busey said.
According to Busey this type of scam has been going on for years, but with the recent reports, the GHPD is reminding people to protect themselves and not fall for it.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 10:01 AM.
