Local law enforcement officials warn of a phone scam claiming to be officers and requesting money. 

The McMinnville Police Department informed the public on Friday that there is a new phone scam making the rounds in McMinnville. The scammers have been calling people claiming to be an officer and asking the person they call to pay money on warrants. They requested the person pay by bitcoin or other means. 

These scammers have been reportedly spoofing the number of the law enforcement agency so it appears as if the actual agency is calling. The MPD warns everyone to be aware and says no law enforcement agency or officer will ever contact you by phone asking you to pay money on warrants or anything else. If anyone receives a call like this, do not send money. If you are unsure, you can call your local department. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission, one of the most common types of phone scams is an impostor scam. This is where a scammer pretends to be someone you trust like a government agency. The FTC warns not to trust your caller ID when it comes to scam calls. Scammers can make any name or number show up on caller ID, which is called spoofing. The call may look like a local number, but it can be coming from anywhere in the world. 

The FTC says there is never a good reason to send cash or pay with a gift card. Scammers will often ask for payment in a way that makes it hard to get the money back. The FTC also says scammers often pretend to be law enforcement and may say you’ll be arrested, fined or deported if you do not pay something right away. The goal is to scare you into paying. Real law enforcement will not call and threaten you for money. 

If you have received a scam call or have lost money to a scammer, report the information to reportfraud.ftc.gov. If you did not lose money and just want to report a scam, report it at DoNotCall.gov.