Clearlake >> The Clearlake Police Department (CPD) has been notified of a new telephone scam hitting the area. This particular telephone scheme is as follows:
A male suspect with a foreign (possibly East Indian or Middle Eastern) accent called a Clearlake woman’s cellular phone, Sgt. Rodd Joseph said in a press statement. The caller’s identification number came back as (646) 740-0330.
He claimed his name was Kevin Peterson with badge number 10026, and that he was head of the U.S. Treasury Department. He reportedly told the intended victim that she owed a specific amount of money to the U.S. Treasury Department. He also claimed that a warrant of arrest had already been issued for her.
He instructed the woman to send a “Money Gram” for the amount owed while he remained on the phone with her. He was specific in his instructions to not hang up with him during the process or the local police would immediately arrest her, Joseph stated.
In this particular incident, the woman became suspicious and contacted the CPD prior to sending any money where she learned that this was a telephone scam.
Residents should be wary of telephone calls such as this where money is requested. Telephone scams come in many forms and often involve a caller the intended victim does not know, and sometimes even portraying a long lost family member. The caller normally demands money under threat or personal information in order to commit identity theft. Contact your local law enforcement agency if you have any questions or if you suspect that you may have received a telephone scam call.
