Delta police issued a warning this week after reports of a phone scam surfaced in the community.
Since last Friday, the department has received several reports of attempted fraud where a suspect has phoned a potential victim and pretended to be a police officer
in an attempt to obtain money in exchange for the dismissal of an alleged arrest warrant.
In this version of the scam, a caller tells the potential victim they have outstanding warrants for an unpaid debt, missed jury duty or some other minor offence, and that a fine is due.
The caller then tries to convince the victim to make a payment by wiring money through convenience stores, or pre-paid credit cards, and then threatens to arrest the victim and put them in jail if they do not pay within a certain period of time.
"These scams prey on the public's fear of being arrested," said Sgt. Sarah Swallow. "We really want to warn the public that this scam has surfaced again, and remind people that police agencies do not offer the option to pay your way out of an arrest warrant."
In light of the recent
reports, Delta police issued a few reminders to the public: Police will not typically inform people of arrest warrants by phone, and will never ask for money in exchange for a legal matter to be dealt with.
If you are suspicious of a phone call from anyone claiming to be a police officer, ask for their name and
badge/ID number, as well as the name of the police department they claim to represent.
A legitimate police officer will not object to you verifying their identity through the main line of the police station.
Never wire money to someone you do not know.
"Delta police are reminding the public to be vigilant
and requesting that the public notify their local police department of any similar calls," Swallow said.
"If the scammer is caught, he or she could face charges of fraud and impersonation of a police officer," she said. "However, typically these scams originate out of the country and therefore difficult to prosecute."
