The Absecon Police Department is warning area residents not to fall for a scam that appears to involve the Absecon Police Department.

Authorities say someone recently reported that they received a call from the Absecon PD non-emergency phone number, (609) 641-0667, and a person pretending to be an officer with the department said they were a victim of bank fraud.

They then began asking the resident for personal identifying information. After refusing to provide information and hanging up, the resident contacted the police.

Police say scammers are able to spoof real phone numbers, often making the victims believe they are legitimate members of professional organizations.

The (real) Absecon Police Department says,

Although our officers and detectives do make phone calls regarding their investigations, we encourage residents to vet these calls by calling the police department back and asking for the officer who called you. Please do not provide any personal information over the phone to anyone you may suspect is not legitimate.

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Don't be a victim

According to the AARP, there are six easy tips that you can use to not be a victim of phone scammers.

  1. Don't Call Me - Ignore pitches from anyone who calls you unsolicited. And, as the Absecon Police Department just pointed out, caller ID and phone numbers can easily be spoofed.
  2. Give Them Nothing - Absolutely nothing. No information, not even your name or if you are even home or not.
  3. I'll Call You - If a legitimate business or organization needs to speak to you, call them back. But don't use the phone number they give you. Do your own research - call a phone number on the company's website or on a billing statement.
  4. Stay Alert - If an organization reaches out to you, do your own research.
  5. Take Your Time - Scammers will often fake deadlines to pressure you into making an uninformed decision.
  6. Be Part of the Solution - Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission by calling (87) FTC-HELP.

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