Longmont police want to warn community members about a scammer who recently called a resident pretending to be with the Federal Trade Commission
The scammer identified himself as David Cooper with the Federal Trade Commission and requested the victim withdraw money from a bank account and deposit it into a bitcoin machine, according to Longmont Public Safety’s Facebook post.
When a Longmont resident received a phone call on Tuesday, the scammer’s caller ID was the number for the Longmont Emergency Communications Center. However, officers say that the call was spoofed, according to the post.
Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise his or her identity.
Police recommend not providing any personal information to a caller that you have not initiated a call with. If you believe the call could be legitimate, look up the number yourself, and call the business, according to the post.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office advises the public to be aware of telephone scams in which individuals posing as government officials attempt to collect or extort money.
