Novi Times

Village of Wolverine Lake recently issued the following announcement.

Important Message from Wolverine Lake Police Chief Ellsworth.

Residents have been receiving calls from someone claiming to to be "Officer Wayne Haggard" from the Wolverine Lake Police "Fraud" Department. They even went as far as to "spoof" our police phone number!

THIS IS A SCAM!

1. The Wolverine Lake Police Department will not notify YOU that your identity has been stolen - you must notify us.

2. We don't have a 'Fraud Department"

3. We don't have an "Officer Wayne Haggard"

4. ANY phone number can be "Spoofed" or made to look like someone else is calling you. Even police department phone numbers.

5. The Police Department will NEVER ask you for your private information over the phone (and only ask IN PERSON if it is necessary for the case we are working on.)

PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO THIS SCAM.

Do

Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You may register online or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236). If you still receive telemarketing calls after registering, there’s a good chance that the calls are scams.

1. Be wary of callers claiming that you’ve won a prize or vacation package.

2. Hang up on suspicious phone calls.

3. Be cautious of caller ID. Scammers can change the phone number that shows up on your caller ID screen. This is called “spoofing.”

4. Independently research business opportunities, charities, or travel packages that the caller offers.

Don’t

1. Don’t give in to pressure to take immediate action.

2. Don’t say anything if a caller starts the call asking, “Can you hear me?” This is a common tactic for scammers to record you saying “yes.” Scammers record your “yes” response and use it as proof that you agreed to a purchase or credit card charge.

3. Don’t provide your credit card number, bank account information, or other personal information to a caller.

4. Don’t send money if a caller tells you to wire money or pay with a prepaid debit card.

I guess that "Tis the Season" for these types of scams so...

BE AWARE!

Chief John M. Ellsworth

Original source can be found here.