The Powell Police Department is warning Park County residents of the latest phone scam. Once again, a caller with nefarious intentions is posing as a law enforcement officer to get people to part with their money.
On Tuesday, May 9, a Powell business received a call from a male who identified themself as the Lieutenant from the Powell Police Department. In the conversation, the caller told an employee of the business to place deposit slips and credit cards in a bag, and someone would be by to get them.
A call of this nature is completely contradictory to how the Powell Police Department – or any law enforcement agency – handles its business. If any law enforcement agency obtains sensitive information from a business (like deposit slips), it’s usually through a signed warrant as part of an investigation.
Last year, the Park County Sheriff’s Office took to Facebook to warn residents of callers saying they had a warrant or a subpoena the victim had failed to comply with. The caller even “cloned” the Sheriff’s Office phone number so it would appear on the victims’ phones.
To avoid arrest, the “employee” demanded collateral in the form of cash or gift cards. No legitimate law enforcement officer will ever solicit money from residents.
Other scams attempted to collect money using temporary rebates on utility bills offered by some municipalities during the pandemic. Park County communities very rarely offer utility rebates.
