Smyrna, TN – The Smyrna Police Department is reminding residents that they’re in the business of law enforcement, not running a telemarketing scheme. A recent wave of scam calls is targeting unsuspecting citizens, with scammers masquerading as Smyrna’s finest to warn residents of fictitious warrants for their arrest.
The scam goes like this: a would-be “officer” with a very convincing attitude claims to be from the Smyrna Police Department, calling to alert residents of an “urgent” warrant against them. Fortunately, there’s an easy way out! All that’s required is some payment over the phone to magically clear the slate. Credit cards, bank info, maybe even some gift cards for good measure—just pay up, and consider the warrant “handled.”
Of course, the real Smyrna Police Department wants to make one thing crystal clear: No officer is calling to settle warrants via your Visa card or asking for gift cards to pay off legal obligations. SPD is urging anyone who receives a call like this to hang up, avoid giving out personal or financial information, and report the call directly to their non-emergency line at (615) 459-6644.
Officials also offer some “helpful hints” for avoiding scams that sound too strange to be true:
- Don’t give out your personal details just because someone sounds official.
- If anyone asks for payments via gift cards or pre-paid cards, you can assume it’s not legitimate (unless you’re really behind on birthday presents).
- Law enforcement doesn’t take payments in Amazon or iTunes gift cards—nor do they accept “settlements” for arrests over the phone.
The SPD also encourages residents to check out reliable resources like the Federal Trade Commission’s site (consumer.ftc.gov/scams) and usa.gov/scams-and-fraud for more tips on scam avoidance.
Stay vigilant, Smyrna, and remember: if someone’s asking for gift cards to “settle” your arrest, they’re probably not an officer of the law—just another scammer dialing for dollars.
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