September 15, 2015, Canton, MI – Over the past two days, the Canton Police Department has taken several calls from residents reporting to have received phone calls from a male posing as a Canton police officer, stating the individual missed jury duty and would have a warrant issued for their arrest if they did not send a Green Dot pre-paid debit card to the caller. This caller is using a 734 area code, and has referenced a judge at the 35th District Court in an attempt to authenticate the conversation. Fortunately there have been no reports of individuals sending a debit card to the caller.
Canton Police would like to take this opportunity to remind residents that the department would never request payment of any kind over the phone, or via a pre-paid debit card.
“Most individuals receiving a call like this would probably recognize it as a scam, but some of our more vulnerable community members might not,” said Community Relations Officer Patty Esselink. “We encourage everyone to speak with their parents, young adults, and friends about the numerous, on-going scams out there, and to recommend when receiving a questionable call, they contact the agency being represented directly to establish validity of the caller,” Esselink adds.
Residents who believe they may have been the victim of a scam should contact the Canton Police Department at 734/394-5400.
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