The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) is warning residents that scammers pretending to be police officers are attempting to swindle cash out of the city’s residents.
“The KPD recently received another report of a scam call where an unknown suspect claimed to be a Knoxville Police Department officer and successfully swindled money and financial information from unsuspecting victims,” KPD said in a Twitter announcement. “The scammer claimed to need financial information and/or money to assist in the resolution of a pending criminal case.”
KPD says it does not operate this way.
“REMEMBER: The KPD or any other legitimate law enforcement agency will not call to demand or request money for any reason,” the police department said. “If you receive a call of this nature and suspect that it is fraudulent, hang up and call your local law enforcement agency. Always report scam calls to law enforcement. Finally, never give out financial or personal information to unverified sources.”
That’s not the only scamming happening in Knoxville.
As reported by The Tennessee Star, cases of “sextortion” are on the rise in the Marble City, especially at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
“Tennessee college and university campuses have seen a marked increase in sextortion attempts aimed at students,” said the FBI’s Knoxville branch at the beginning of November. “The suspects, often posing as college-aged female students, target unsuspecting students through dating apps and online social media platforms.”
“After coaxing students to send nude and other compromising pictures, the suspect then demands money to keep from sharing the pictures with the victim’s family, friends, and followers on social media,” said the FBI. “Never share or send nude pictures or videos to anyone. If you have been a victim or know someone who has, please report it to your local LE agency. Remember, once you send or share a picture or video with someone, you lose all control of who can share, post, and see the images.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Woman Looking at Her Phone” by Tima Miroshnichenko. Background Photo “Knoxville Police” by Knoxville Police Department – TN.
