Billerica Police would like to share information regarding an uptick in recent phone scams, in which individuals are calling residents pretending to be a member of the department in an effort to collect money or personal information.
During the calls, the scammer uses real Billerica officer names and tells residents that they are being investigated for crimes and that they must provide identifying information or payment.
Residents should be advised to never share personal or sensitive information over the phone. Community members who have concerns about the legitimacy of a call should call the station directly at 978-667-1212.
The Billerica Police Department would like to share the following tips about scams from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):
- Only donate to organizations you know and trust.
- Check social media posts and official websites to make sure they are currently holding a fundraiser.
- Do not give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you did not expect.
- Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists that you can only pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, a payment app, or a gift card. Never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
- Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
- If you were scammed or think you saw a scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Additionally, Billerica Police is not conducting any sort of fundraising efforts either, and will never call residents asking for money. For more information about common scams, visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cyber Crime website here.
