SAUGUS — Scammers are out in Saugus, says Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli, and he asks that people beware.
Ricciardelli said Tuesday the Saugus Police Department has received two reports from individuals who had been contacted by a person who claimed to be a Saugus Police officer, and who demanded money.
One of the individuals said he was a Saugus Police officer, and demanded $8,000 from her.
Ricciardelli warned residents Tuesday that police officers will never contact citizens over the phone to solicit payment.
“It’s sad and unfortunate to see scammers posing as trusted individuals in the community,” said Ricciardelli. “It’s important to remember that you should never provide personal information on the phone if you didn’t start the call, and don’t know where it originates from.”
“It’s a scam that has been perpetrated before in the United States,” said Lt. Ronald Giorgetti. “People identify themselves as officers. This was even more specific.
“The intent of the caller is to defraud and take their money from them,” said Giorgetti, who also said that there are some solicitation calls by police that are legitimate, such as when they are raising money for charitable causes or non-profit groups.
“Sometimes, they call and say they may have a warrant, and in order to clear it you have to pay them. They ask you to forward money through Western Union.”
Giorgetti said the scammers “might call all day, and hope to get one or two people to wire them, or to buy gift cards. That’s a real red flag right there.”
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office provides the following tips for residents to protect themselves from other scams and frauds:
— Do not give out your credit card information to someone calling over the phone.
— Do not give in to the pressure to make a decision immediately.
— If in doubt, do not give out your information.
— Report anyone claiming to be a government worker to local police.
— Monitor incoming calls. Do not pick up unknown numbers or random calls. If a call is important, the caller will leave a message; if you do pick up and learn it is a scam call, do not engage. Just hang up.
