Since September, 2013, the Santa Ana Police Department has had several cases where victims receive a call from a suspect posing as a debt collector. The victims are then told they would be arrested if the debt is not paid and are instructed to pay through PayPal or other electronic means.
In two cases, victims received a call from a “Santa Ana Police Officer” and the caller ID showed up with actual SAPD phone numbers. The “officer” told the victim, he/she would be arrested if the debt was not paid. In an additional case, the victim received a call from an “Orange County Sheriff’s Department Deputy” with a caller ID the same as an actual number for the OCSD Civil Division. The callers are spoofing their phones to have the victim believe they are actually receiving a call from the Police or Sheriff’s Department.
The Santa Ana Police Department has also had numerous other cases where the suspects are not spoofing their phones to reflect law enforcement phone numbers, but threaten to have the victims arrested if the debt is not paid. Some of the victims knew they did not have an outstanding debt, but paid anyway out of fear of being arrested.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims of similar crimes. Law enforcement agencies do not call community members in an attempt to collect debt for creditors. If you receive a similar call, do not send money to the caller. If contacted, ask the person on the phone for their company or agency, have them identify themselves and request a call back number where they can be reached. Then report the criminal activity to your local law enforcement agency.
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