Scammers are impersonating Howard County police officers on the phone
Howard County police are warning about a new scheme in which scammers are calling people, posing as police officers.
No one's fallen victim to the scam yet, according to a police spokesman. The people who've gotten the call have called 911 to verify what the scammers are saying.
It's the latest reminder to be careful with essentially any call you receive. That's the approach one Howard County resident takes after nearly falling for an impersonation scam years ago.
What do the scammers ask for?
Police said the scammers try to convince someone there's a fine they have to pay, or there's a warrant out for their arrest.
Then, to pay off the fine or get rid of the warrant, the scammers ask the would-be victim to buy gift cards.
The scammers also use the names of current and retired Howard County police officers.
When you get a call like this, police recommend verifying the information with a trusted source, which, in this case, would be the police department.
It's also a good idea to never send money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to someone you don't know. It's especially the case if you're being pressured to do this quickly.
Also, if you spot a red flag, trust your gut, it's likely a scam.
Police said scam callers posing as BGE and the IRS are common impersonation scams in the area.
To report an impersonation scam, you can call police at 410-313-2200, or you can submit a police report online here.
Police and the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection have more information about these scams, and how to best avoid them here and here.
Scamming close calls
Darryl Barber's mom got the call before he did: his nephew stole a car.
"He was in New York at the time," Barber said. "[The scammer said] he stole a car and drove to Atlanta, got in a wreck, and they put him in jail."
The scammer asked Barber and his mom for $600 to bail out his nephew, and they almost paid it, until they verified with family members that none of it was true.
"I was ready to send $600 down to some fake address, and they would've got me," Barber said.
CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman shared on social media that he nearly fell for a scammer posing as someone working at his bank.
The scammer told him to withdraw all of his money out to keep it safe from fraudsters.
Gutman was ready to follow the instructions and even went to his typical branch location, before his gut helped him avoid making a mistake.
"I go to the teller, I start doing the thing, and I'm like, 'There is no way that this is possibly real,'" Gutman said. "That anybody would use a regular civilian for a sting operation at a bank. I am a journalist and I've done scam stories so many times throughout my career, and I came so close to falling for it."
Barber said he's just extra cautious with every phone call he gets.
"We get a lot of the fundraising phone calls [for the sheriff's department and the fire department], but I kinda screen all of my calls that come in. If I don't really recognize the number, I don't answer," he said.
