LFP Police warn of current scams

Lake Forest Park police recently shared two examples of telephone scams that were tried on local residents.

Today we received a call from a citizen asking for the photo enforcement department. Our citizen said they received a call from us about a photo ticket. We don’t have a photo enforcement department. The scammer identified the victim’s vehicle plate and told the victim they needed to send money or face license suspension. This is a SCAM!! Your driver’s license cannot be suspended for not paying a photo ticket. If you receive one of these calls get as much information as you can and call the LFP Police at 206-364-8216.

These calls can come from anywhere and any country. The scammers are using information that is available online.

This one has resurfaced: A caller tells you that you have a warrant for your arrest for missing jury duty and they want you to pay-up or risk going to jail. Most times they want you to wire money or send prepaid credit cards or simply give them a credit card number …. DON’T DO IT. If you have a warrant for your arrest you’ll know it. We won’t call you, we’ll just knock on your door, in uniform, with authentic identification, and real badge smile emoticon Please don’t fall for this one.

Last week someone in Shoreline was caught by the "Grandson Scam." The caller says that their grandson is in jail in another state or country and needs money right away to get out. Sometimes the caller even claims to be the grandson. The concerned grandparents follow the instructions to wire money before they find out that they've been scammed. In this case, a few follow up questions would have revealed that the call was a scam, but many people are too rattled to question the info.