By: Community Officer Jeff Kirchman
Recently, the parents of a UW–Madison student contacted UWPD to describe what they suspected was an attempt to scam them.
The couple reported that a person claiming to be a UW–Madison security officer had stopped their son’s vehicle and found something illegal. The caller demanded they pay a “bond” to prevent the student from going to jail.
If you’re familiar with common fraud activity (or you read this article), you may already recognize some telltale signs of the “Get-Out-Of-Jail Scam”, also known as the Incarcerated Relative Scam.
The parents explained what had them suspicious:
- The caller’s telephone number appeared to originate from outside Wisconsin.
- The English was poor, and the so-called “supervisor” was nearly unintelligible.
- The person identified themself as a security officer, not a police officer.
- The caller provided inaccurate information about the student.
- When the parents said they were suspicious, the caller hung up on them.
UWPD quickly assured them the student had not been contacted and was not in any trouble. No money changed hands, and no financial harm was done.
In the end, this was a pretty weak scam attempt. But not all perpetrators are so amateur; some are very experienced, intelligent, charismatic, and convincing. But, they all have one thing in common – they want money and they want it as fast as possible.
If you or anyone you know is being contacted by someone claiming to be law enforcement who is demanding fast payment for some offense, the best advice is to hang up, and separately call your own local police department and seek their input.