Police Services trying to contact you.

Last week the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office – who provides policing services for the City of Lathrop through June of next year – announced that a number of residents had reported getting phone calls from a number that is identical to the number of the agency.

The only problem? The caller was asking for personal information of the type that Lathrop Police Services wouldn’t ask for over the phone.

The agency recommends that anybody that receives a call from their number that feels like it may not be legitimate to hang up and call back the actual number immediately.

“This is a SCAM,” Lathrop Police Services announced on its Facebook page last week. “Someone appears to be using internet ‘spoofing’ technology to make it appear their call is coming from LPS.

“If you receive any calls like this, feel free to hang up and call LPS directly at 209.858.5551 and inquire directly with us.”

While scammers have long had the ability to spoof numbers to make them appear like they are local in origin – and have even gone so far as to use the number for the IRS when impersonating IRS agents to gain access to people’s personal information – the use of a local police agency’s phone number represents a new challenge for citizens trying to remain vigilant against the ever-burgeoning world of internet scams.

According to Lathrop Police Services, citizens should be wary of any unsolicited phone call, text message, or email asking for personal information, and to never open links contained in digital documents or messages without first knowing who sent them and what the link leads to.

Legitimate businesses, the agency said, will also never ask for payments through gift cards or any other untraceable means.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks telephone scams and works to actively thwart them, the average loss for somebody who fell victim to one in 2020 was $1,170 – nearly four times the median loss in any other reported type of fraud.

Being that seniors are often targeted and victimized by such crimes, the AARP has an entire section of its website dedicated to informing elderly residents about what to be on the lookout for when answering phone calls and text messages in the digital age.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.

Police Services trying to contact you.

Last week the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office – who provides policing services for the City of Lathrop through June of next year – announced that a number of residents had reported getting phone calls from a number that is identical to the number of the agency.

The only problem? The caller was asking for personal information of the type that Lathrop Police Services wouldn’t ask for over the phone.

The agency recommends that anybody that receives a call from their number that feels like it may not be legitimate to hang up and call back the actual number immediately.

“This is a SCAM,” Lathrop Police Services announced on its Facebook page last week. “Someone appears to be using internet ‘spoofing’ technology to make it appear their call is coming from LPS.

“If you receive any calls like this, feel free to hang up and call LPS directly at 209.858.5551 and inquire directly with us.”

While scammers have long had the ability to spoof numbers to make them appear like they are local in origin – and have even gone so far as to use the number for the IRS when impersonating IRS agents to gain access to people’s personal information – the use of a local police agency’s phone number represents a new challenge for citizens trying to remain vigilant against the ever-burgeoning world of internet scams.

According to Lathrop Police Services, citizens should be wary of any unsolicited phone call, text message, or email asking for personal information, and to never open links contained in digital documents or messages without first knowing who sent them and what the link leads to.

Legitimate businesses, the agency said, will also never ask for payments through gift cards or any other untraceable means.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks telephone scams and works to actively thwart them, the average loss for somebody who fell victim to one in 2020 was $1,170 – nearly four times the median loss in any other reported type of fraud.

Being that seniors are often targeted and victimized by such crimes, the AARP has an entire section of its website dedicated to informing elderly residents about what to be on the lookout for when answering phone calls and text messages in the digital age.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.