The Eugene Police Department warns about scammers posing as police on the phone

Eugene, OR – Police officials released a statement, saying that they’ve received reports about scammers stating they were with the Eugene Police Department and needed to speak with them about a legal matter or a warrant.

The person calling identified themselves as a sergeant by name.

Please don’t fall for this.

The scam has actually been around for a while and crops back up like a weed in our community.

It is called the “Police Call” scam.

Often victims are told they are required to pay money to avoid criminal charges.

They use the names of retired and current EPD officers and command staff, often calling from a spoofed number that looks like it’s coming from the police department including starting with ‘541.682’ and getting victims to pay through Apple Pay and Zelle.

Victims could also be asked to pay through other means, such as cryptocurrency or gift cards.