Scam Targets Waldo Canyon Fire Evacuees

A Cascade man said he is the victim of a scam, but recognized what was happening before he lost any money.

The victim wants to remain anonymous, but said he received a call where the man on the other end identified himself as a Colorado Springs police officer and demanded money for help received during the evacuations.

The incident happened in the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction, and deputies say law enforcement agencies do no call people asking for money for services. Lt. Jeff Kramer said that a victim of this crime should always file a report even if you didn’t lose money and it takes some time.

“We are able to better have that report on record for follow up in the future. If we have similar events that the individual victim would not be aware of,” said Kramer.

The Sheriff’s Office also said it is important to people do some of their own investigating if anyone ever calls and asks for money or personal information over the phone.

“Go to an appropriate website, request something be sent through the mail other than handling it over the phone. I would certainly never recommend providing identifying or bank type info over the telephone,” said Kramer.

There is currently no pattern locally for this particular crime.

If you receive one of these calls, you can fire a report with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 719-520-7333.