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The Plantation Police Department in Broward County issued an urgent alert about an active phone scam in which criminals impersonate their officers to demand money from residents in South Florida.
Scammers use a technique known as "spoofing" to falsify the official department number, making the call appear on the caller ID as if it were coming from the real Police line.
But the impersonation is not limited to the number: criminals also use the names of actual officials from the department to add more credibility to their threats, authorities confirmed.
The tactic involves warning victims that they will be arrested if they do not make an immediate money transfer.
The department was clear in its official statement: "The Plantation Police Department will NEVER call you to demand payment or request money transfers to avoid arrest."
Authorities also clarified that they do not accept payments "through bank transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrencies," and that "legitimate law enforcement matters are handled in person or through official judicial processes, never over the phone with demands for payment."
What to do if you receive a suspicious call
The Plantation Police recommend hanging up immediately, not providing any personal or financial information, not sending money under any circumstances, and verifying the call by contacting the department directly at (954) 797-2100.
The FBI, for its part, advises being wary of unsolicited calls, text messages, or emails, and to keep the messages as a record if fraud is suspected.
It also recommends reporting these cases to 1-800-CALL-FBI or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
"Help us spread the word by sharing this information and protecting others in our community," the department asked residents.
Other scams detected
The alert comes just days after the FBI in Miami issued a similar warning on Thursday about scammers posing as federal agents to obtain money and personal information from residents of the region.
In some cases, scammers impersonating federal agents also pose as bank employees collaborating with the FBI to obtain financial information from their victims.
The most vulnerable communities are the elderly and Hispanic migrants, particularly Cubans, whom scammers intimidate by exploiting their fear of deportation or arrest under the Trump administration.
In Florida, there have been 1,579 cases of impersonation of federal agents, with estimated losses of over 12 million dollars, according to data from ICE. Nationally, the Federal Trade Commission reported losses of 789 million dollars due to this type of scam in 2024.
Many of these scammers operate from outside the United States, using technology to spoof official agency numbers, making them difficult to trace.
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