Scam Alert: Meridian Police Demanding Money
I have said it before and I'll say it again. There are few things that I hate more in the world than scammers. It is such an awful thing to do for so many reasons. Well another group of scammers has entered the Treasure Valley and are making their presence known. As of right now we do not know if these scammers are local or are making the calls from far away, but here is what we do know...
Multiple people have reported to the Meridian Police Department that they received either a phone call or voice mail demanding money from the department. Meridian Police said in a statement they would never call or leave messages asking for money from past infringements. Apparently the scam caller is using real Meridian Police Officers names and claiming that they need to pay unpaid fines or possibly risk being arrested.
Part of the statement from MPD reads, "Although the phone number is not associated with the Meridian Police Department, some caller IDs show that it is the department. The caller will also leave a very official-sounding voicemail telling citizens it’s an urgent matter and to call back to a specific phone number that is not the Meridian Police Department."
If you get a call with someone claiming to be from the Meridian Police Department saying you owe money, hang up right away. No government agency would ever call to insist you pay past due fines. If you receive a voicemail with a call back number, do not call it back. Instead report it to the Meridian Police Department so they can try and catch the scammers and stop this.