NEWPORT — Chief Travis Bingham and the Newport Police Department remind residents to take great caution when receiving phone calls or emails soliciting monetary donations.
Police were informed recently that a resident received a solicitation call from someone identifying themselves as a Newport officer. Newport Police do not directly solicit donations.
“In this case, the resident knew the officer whose name was used and quickly realized the call was a scam,” Chief Bingham said.
Scammers will use a number of techniques to collect money illegally, including “spoofing” caller identification to make it appear the call involves official Town business.
“Scammers will target vulnerable populations such as our seniors and ask them to withdraw large sums of cash or purchase large amounts of gift cards,” Chief Bingham said. “We encourage anyone who is approached for money by someone they don’t know to call us at (802) 334-6733 as soon as possible.”
The Newport Police Department recommends that all residents be very careful about any monetary transactions over the telephone or online without complete assurance that they are conducting legitimate transactions for goods or services. The Department also recommends diligent oversight of financial records through their banking and financial institutions.
The Department also offers the following tips:
- 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.
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