Lamar PD: Residents Be Aware of “SPOOF” Calls

The Lamar Police Department has received several calls from concerned citizens in regards to fraudulent phone calls from ‘spoofed’ local numbers, including the Lamar Police Department’s main line, as well as other local entities. The parties making the calls requesting personal and financial information are not associated with the department or city, and should not be provided with personal and financial information.

If you receive a call from a party claiming to represent a law enforcement agency, be aware that law enforcement generally will NOT:

• Request your personal identifying information over the phone. An officer may confirm your name and date of birth on a phone call, but we will not request your social security number. It is recommended that you do not provide your SSN to a caller without first taking steps to confirm the identity of the caller.

• Request your financial information (IE: bank account or routing number, credit card numbers, etc) over the phone. Do not provide any caller with this information without first taking steps to confirm the identity of the caller.

• You will NOT be contacted by law enforcement via telephone and advised you have a warrant or other outstanding judgement and asked to settle the issue with a payment over the phone. If you receive a call of this fashion, do not provide the party with information, hang up and contact the agency they claim to be representing.

In the event you receive one of these suspicious phone calls, please do not provide the callers with any personal or financial information.

If you are contacted and are uncertain if a caller is a Lamar Police Officer, you may always contact the Lamar Police Department at 719-336-4341 or the Prowers County Dispatch Center at 719-336-3977 to verify the call is legitimate before providing sensitive information.