Scammers Pretending To Be Police Target Residents In Marin County

MILL VALLEY, CA — Police said they are warning the community about an ongoing scam in which callers are impersonating law enforcement.

The Mill Valley Police Department said they have received multiple reports that someone is claiming to be an MVPD employee to scam residents.

These callers use official-sounding titles, false badge numbers and spoofed phone numbers to make their story seem legitimate, police said.

The scammers are then demanding personal information, payment or both, often claiming the victim has an outstanding warrant, unpaid fine or other urgent legal issue.

In some cases, the scammers threaten to send an officer to the person's home if they don't give up the information or make an immediate payment.

"The Mill Valley Police Department will never call you to request personal information, demand payment, collect fines, or solicit wire transfers, gift cards, or any other form of money. We do not send officers to collect payments of any kind," police said.

If you live in Mill Valley and have suffered financial loss due to this scam, you can file a report by calling the police nonemergency line at (415) 389-4100.

Police said residents can protect themselves from scams by never to sharing personal or financial information with unsolicited callers and being highly suspicious of anyone who demands immediate payment or uses threats.

Furthermore, the MVPD said residents can take steps to protect their privacy on social media, as scammers frequently gather personal details there to make their calls more believable.

It is crucial to understand that funds sent via prepaid or gift cards are instantly accessible to the recipient and are generally non-recoverable, so never wire money or provide debit/credit card information to a stranger, police said.