UW–Madison Police Department

A Reason to Call Home: Scammer Impersonating UWPD Officer Targeting Parents

  • Incident date: January 24, 2025, 12:00 am
  • Incident type: Scam
  • Location/address: n/a

Close up of a business person looking at mobile phone with blurred

Badgers, we’re giving you a great reason to check in with loved ones at home: scammers are targeting parents of UW students, impersonating an officer from UWPD, and demanding bail money for their student.

In the last 24 hours, UWPD has received three reports from parents who received these calls. In every case, the caller identifies themselves as a UWPD officer (giving a real officer’s name) and tells the parent their student has been detained by police. They demand a money transfer via PayPal, Venmo, or ApplePay for bail. In every case, the parents did the right thing by hanging up and calling our department to verify.

The UW-Madison Police Department — or any police department — will NEVER call you and demand money. Please consider the following tips:

  • If you receive a telephone call from someone telling you they are a police officer or other government employee, and they are demanding you send them money, do not engage with the caller. Immediately hang up.
  • NEVER give bank account, credit card, or personal information to someone who calls you.
  • If you feel threatened or unsafe, hang up and call 911.

If you receive a call like this and want to verify its legitimacy, you can always call UWPD at (608) 264-2677. You should also contact UWPD if you provided sensitive information to the scammer or lost money from this scam.