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The Northampton Police Department issued an alert following reports from city residents that they have been receiving calls from (413) 587-1100, the department’s non-emergency number.
According to investigators, the scammers pose as police and claim that there has been an identify theft, or an outstanding warrant, and the only way to clear up the issue was to pay through gift cards exchanged over the phone.
“The number is able to show up that way because it is ‘spoofed' and there is not actually anyone from the police department calling,” they said. “We will never ask you for money over the phone to ‘clear up’ a problem and certainly would never ask you to pay with gift cards.
“Please share this information with your elderly friends, family, and neighbors as they often times are the ones to fall victim of these scams.”
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