WEGOPD Phone Number Spoofed in Recent Scam Attempt
On April 15, 2024 the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department was notified by a Westtown resident that she had received a phone call from a male subject with an Indian accent who identified himself as a police officer. The resident told police that at the time of the phone call her caller ID reported that the call was coming from this police department and displayed our phone number. The caller told the resident that she was a victim of identity theft and would need to fill out a form from the Federal Trade Commission, which he would email to her, and then send it back to him in a timely manner. Once the resident received the form, she immediately realized this was a scam and luckily did not email the caller the form, which would have contained her personal information.
In this incident the caller “spoofed” this department’s phone number to make it look like the call was originating from the police. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use neighbor spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. If you answer, they use scam scripts to try to steal your money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity.”
While it may not be uncommon for an officer from our department to contact a person by phone, for a variety of possible reasons, please be aware of this scam should you receive a similar phone call. If you do receive a similar call, we ask that you report this incident to our department by calling 610-692-5100.
Please remember never to give your personal or financial information to anyone who calls you on the phone requesting it.
Below is a link to the FCC that provides further information on “Spoofing”.
