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UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. -- The Michigan State Police is warning residents about a recent phone scam involving individuals posing as department personnel.
Reports indicate scammers are calling people, posing as State Police members, and falsely claiming the recipient missed a court date or committed a violation. The caller then demands immediate payment to avoid arrest.
The callers use this tactic to create a sense of urgency and panic, attempting to pressure individuals to provide money or personal information. State Police want to make it clear that this is a scam.
The State Police will never call individuals to request sensitive personal information or ask for financial payments to be made directly to personnel. Other signs of a scam include a caller or message asking for payment by prepaid gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, cash in the mail or a mobile payment app.
When necessary, State Police will make in-person contact with individuals for official matters, including investigations or other law enforcement duties.
Residents are urged not to share any sensitive information, addresses, information about family or friends, Social Security numbers, or banking details over the phone with unknown callers.
If you receive a suspicious call, email, or text, hang up immediately if it’s a call and do not engage with the caller. Don’t click links or open attachments, don’t download files or respond to the message, block the caller or sender, report it as spam, and delete it from your device.