OKLAHOMA CITY - Mom, Amanda, says for a brief moment, she was frozen with fear.
“He said, ‘It sounds like you have a baby.’”
Someone called her claiming to be law enforcement and making ugly threats.
“They will send child protective services and since it's a Sunday, you won't see your daughter ‘til Monday,” Amanda said.
You know the IRS "arrest warrant" scam, where scammers demand cash for unpaid tickets or taxes.
The twist is they continue to make it look as if they're calling from police emergency dispatch.
“I was on the phone with my husband at that time,” she said. “I said 911 is calling me.”
Edmond Police Spokeswoman Jenny Wagnon said, “They're able to spoof the number, so it legitimately looks like it's coming from us.”
She tells the In Your Corner team, if you get a call from Edmond PD's dispatch, it won't show up as 911.
“It will show up as a 359 number,” she said.
Here's the thing.
Scammers are spoofing the PD’s other numbers for non-emergency dispatch and records.
“Get as much information as possible, hang up and actually call 911,” Wagnon said. “Our dispatchers will be able to direct you to whoever you're supposedly talking to.”
The In Your Corner bottom line:
- Police don't collect money, period, nor do they work with the Feds to collect taxes.
- Amanda says when the scammer threatened to take away her child, the fear stopped her in her tracks.
- You can't always trust your caller ID and a dead giveaway is an urgent demand to wire your cash.
- If you truly owe taxes the IRS will send you a bill in the mail first.