Residents of Grapevine are being targeted by scammers wielding a particularly devious tactic: spoofing the non-emergency number of the local police department. According to the Grapevine Police, these swindlers have been dialing up community members, masquerading as authorities, and falsely accusing them of missing court appearances and demanding money. The police have stated to alert the public and to clarify that any call asking for money or gift cards is certainly not from their department, as per Grapevine Police.
Scammers are calling people in Grapevine, claiming they failed to appear in court and owe money. Our non-emergency line is being spoofed for these calls (817.410.8127). Anyone demanding money or gift cards is not coming from us. pic.twitter.com/veVfXVTB1D
— Grapevine Police (@GrapevinePolice) December 5, 2023
The Grapevine Police warned that the scammers are using their non-emergency line, 817.410.8127, to lend credibility to their ruse. This practice, known as "caller ID spoofing," is designed to deceive the recipients into thinking the call is legitimately coming from the police. Residents, now armed with this knowledge, are urged to remain vigilant and not quickly give in to demands for payment, especially when such requests include money transfers or gift cards.
