Astoria Police have received reports today that someone posing as a Law Enforcement Officer from the Astoria Police called asking for personal information and for money.  The callers will “spoof” or fake the Astoria Police Department phone number so the call appears to be coming from the Astoria Police Department.  Recent calls have involved the caller claiming a person failed to appear regarding a legal issue and asking for personal information. Other common tactics in these types of Government Impersonation Fraud involve scammers attempting to get the call recipient to send money.  These calls are fraudulent; any legitimate law enforcement officer will not demand cash or gift cards from a member of the public.

To protect yourself from falling victim to this scam, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.  Do not send money or gift cards to anybody you do not personally know and trust.  Never give out your personal information, including banking information, social security number or other personally identifiable information, over the phone to individuals you do not know.