Suspects now are using the Salt Lake City Police Department Phone Number.

Tip: no reputable business or government agency requires payment via such financial products 

SALT LAKE CITY — Investigators in the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit report an increase in the number of victims who say they have been duped by fraudsters requesting payment for services via pre-paid money cards. The caller ID displayed by the suspect’s phone is 801-799-3000 which is the phone number of the Salt Lake City Police Department Dispatch Center.  Using a practice known as “caller ID spoofing,” callers can deliberately falsify the telephone number and/or name relayed as the Caller ID information to disguise the identity of the calling party. 

Detectives say as many as six cases a day are being reported in the city. They all have a similar theme: suspects represent themselves as collection agents from utility or government representatives—from power companies to IRS tax collectors. In this new scam the suspects are telling the victim they are from the Salt Lake City police department and they have warrants out for their arrest. The victim is instructed to load cash on a pre-paid money card, such as Money Pak/Green Dot, to clear a debt or the warrant. Once the victim supplies the security code on the card, the suspect withdraws the money remotely and there is no way to get it back. Green Dot MoneyPak cards are not linked to bank accounts – the money is on the card. Anyone you share your card number with, have instant access to your cash and can siphon the card dry. 

The public should be aware that no reputable agency or business instructs or demands payment in such a specific manner. If you receive such a call, hang up and call the agency based on contact information you trust  FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS DEBT COLLECTORS FROM USING INTIMIDATION, THREATS AND HARASSMENT, AND NO ONE CAN BE JAILED OVER A DEBT. 

A video on this and other financial scams may be viewed on our website:

https://police.slc.gov/chiefs-message-march-2014-financial-crimes-scams/ 

To share information about this or other criminal activity with the Salt Lake City Police Department, please call (801) 799-3000. To remain anonymous, text the keyword TIPSLCPD plus any relevant information to 274637. Reference: GreenDot. 

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