$93,000 scammed out of Colorado Springs residents in fake law enforcement scheme
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Springs Police Department says they've received reports of at least $93,000 lost in a law enforcement impersonation scheme since Jan. 1, 2024.
Residents will typically pick up the phone to someone claiming to be a member of the police or sheriff's office. The scammer will claim that the person has missed jury duty, has warrants out for their arrest, or otherwise failed to show up for court. The scammer will then tell the person that they urgently need to pay fines, or they will be arrested.
Adding to the believability, scammers have been known to "spoof" phone numbers so they appear to be coming from an agency like CSPD or the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. CSPD says they might also use the names of legitimate officers or command staff.
Over the weekend, KRDO13 spoke to one woman who was targetted by the scam.
"It felt so, it felt so real. At the time, and especially after I googled the number, I was like, like trying to make it not make sense," shared Erin Parker, a Colorado Springs resident.
According to CSPD, scammers also add a sense of urgency and pressure, making victims feel like something bad will happen to them if they don't take care of payment immediately; those feelings can prevent people from using their full judgment.
Thankfully for Erin Parker, she called 911 to verify and did not end up handing over the $9,500 scammers demanded for her "bond."
Others are not so lucky. Earlier this month, an El Paso County man called KRDO13 to report that he lost $15,000 to the scam, a payment which he made through Bitcoin. He did not want to go on camera.
At the time of our original report last weekend, EPSO had estimated that about $20,000 had been lost to the scheme since Jan. 1, 2024. Thursday's latest numbers of $93,000 from CSPD show just how widespread the scam is becoming.
CSPD wants to remind everyone that law enforcement will never solicit payment of any kind over the phone, especially not through gift cards or cryptocurrency.
