Phone Scam Involves Suspect Falsely Id'd As Immigration Officer

PALO ALTO, CA -- A phone scam in which a suspect pretends to be an immigration officer is going around, city police warns.

A man in his 60s reported to police that he received a call on his cell phone from a man who was seeking crucial information pertaining to his identity such as the man's passport, driver's license and social security number. The suspect told the man he was a "victim of identity theft." In another call, the man claimed to be Palo Alto police officer "Jim Hopper." A third call claiming to be from an immigration worker was a request for the victim to load money on gift cards to pay for new identification. In summary, the victim was scammed out of $10,000.

There is no officer Hopper. Detectives are conducting an investigation into the matter.

The Palo Alto Police Department will never solicit payment in any form for any reason over the phone. The money solicitation came from a Palo Alto police number that was spoofed. This means the suspect used commercial software to disguise the true number, the law enforcement agency emphasized.

Gift card scams over the phone are becoming more prevalent.

For more information, visit https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/news/.

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