Scammers attempt to get money from South Lake Tahoe business owner

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A scammer attempted to get money out of a South Lake Tahoe business owner on Thursday, December 20 by pretending to be from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

The call came into the business from what looked like the police department's main phone line. The person on the other end told the owner he owed money on old credit cards and would be arrested if he didn’t pay up. The caller gave him a number to call, 512-333-2304, and when he called they asked for $1985.

He hung up and called police.

“Neither the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, nor any legitimate law enforcement agency, will call you to collect on credit card bills, or back taxes,” said Lt. Shannon Laney with SLTPD, “Law enforcement agencies also don’t take money in lieu of arrest. If a person has an outstanding arrest warrant, they’ll be arrested, cited, or directed to the court to have the warrant taken care of.”

Many phone scams will use phone numbers that begin with 512-333-xxxx. Current technology allows callers to ‘spoof’ the number displayed to the receiver’s caller ID so that it appears to be a call from a legitimate business or a government agency.

Scams involve several different scripts and scenarios but all will ask for money via the phone to prevent an arrest or shut off of gas, electricity, etc. They will pose as law enforcement, the IRS and utility companies. Be leery of callers asking for money through Green Dot cards, credit cards, Money Grams, Venmo, direct deposit or other commodities.

To avoid becoming the victim of a scam:
- Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls
- Never give money or personal information to someone with whom you don’t have ties and did not initiate contact
- Trust your instincts: if an unknown caller makes you uncomfortable or says things that don’t sound right, hang up
- Victims of phone or online scams can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.