KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge Police Department warns that phone calls that appear to come from its non-emergency number may not actually be from them.
Scammers are pretending to be Oak Ridge Police Department investigators in a new scam designed to trick people into giving over personal information. The scammers spoof the ORPD non-emergency line, (865) 425-4399, and call people about fake investigations, ORPD said in a press release.
The scammers say that they need to verify personal information before asking about a person's name, address and their social security number, ORPD said. The scammer may also provide a fake badge number and a fake name.
There are at least two reports of people receiving calls from spoofed ORPD phone numbers. It also wasn't the first time scammers pretended to be police in the region. Scammers pretended to be from the Knox County Sheriff's Office in August 2019, targeting teachers.
Spoofing phone numbers is a common tactic among scammers to make themselves seem trustworthy. They use technology to appear like they're calling from a legitimate source to earn a victim's trust before tricking them into giving sensitive information.
Although the victim may have received a call from a trusted phone number, it may not actually be from a trusted person.
Instead, a scammer could use the number to disguise who they actually are. Most of the time, they disguise themselves as neighbors, or as government organizations like ORPD.
The ORPD says it will never ask for personal or financial information from people over the phone. It also said that it will never contact people over the phone about outstanding warrants.
If you believe that you received a fake phone call from ORPD, contact them at their non-emergency line, (865) 425-4399. If you have more questions about the scam, call them at the main phone line, (865) 425-3504.