Oops. Scammer Calls Police Department

An alleged phone scammer who identified himself as “Steve from the Technical Department at Comcast,” received an unpleasant surprise when he realized he had called Anne Arundel County police training facility.

Anne Arundel County Police posted on Facebook Thursday that even police departments are not immune from scam calls, but instead of hanging up the telephone, Sgt. Dan Sereboff chose to stay on the line and ask the caller questions to verify his identity, none of which “Steve” could answer.

“He was threatening to turn off our internet if I didn’t follow some steps at my computer,” police say in the Facebook post.

The mysterious caller wanted to gain access to Sereboff’s computer, according to ABC.

“I do a lot of purchasing for the facility, so he very easily could have gotten access to government bank accounts,” Sereboff told the news outlet.

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The call went on for five minutes before Sereboff finally told the man who he had called.

“I said Steve you’ve called the police department. And he said I’ve called what? And I said yes, you’ve called the police department. Uh, click,” Sereboff told ABC.

Anne Arundel County Police emphasized in their post that this kind of call could happen to anyone.

Here are some tips from the police:

• Ask questions. Call back numbers and employee ID numbers are great
• Call the company and verify
• Never open the door for any utility or cable company if you didn’t have an appointment
• Call the police

A Comcast spokeswoman told ABC the company does not contact customers and ask for computer access. If a customer is unsure, contact Comcast at 1-800-COMCAST.

>> A scam caller threatened to turn off a Police Sergeant’s internet. Photo screenshot from ABC.