Phone scammers prey on innocent people hoping to obtain money or personal information like social security numbers. But when they called Captain Ann Stephens from the Apex Police Department – they had no clue who they were really messing with.
Fortunately for us, she recorded their conversation to show everyone what criminals will say to try and intimidate their victims. The video is humorous, while the lesson is real.
If you’ve ever been on the other end of a phone scam, you know it can be an unnerving ordeal. Even if you didn’t give in to the person on the other line, there’s something about the situation that makes your heart beat a little faster.
According to the 2019 U.S. Spam & Scam Report from Truecaller Insights – over the last year, almost 1 in 6 Americans lost money because of a phone scam.
There’s a wide variety of scams out there with criminals using different tactics to get what they want. Some examples from U.S. News are IRS threats, fake charity scams, reports that family members are in trouble, lottery scams, and others.
When Capt. Stephens received a call that she would be arrested for trafficking substances – she knew right away things were off. So, her coworker flipped on the camera to record the whole thing.
Stephens couldn’t help but laugh when the caller threatened her with the charge. After all, the caller was clueless he was talking to a real police captain!
The man asked her to confirm her social security number, which Stephens refused to do. She also denied giving him her home address.
She instead shifted the tables, telling him:
“If you have my file on me, you should know what my address is.”
However, it just caused the scammer to become more pushy. He warned Stephens that a sheriff will come to apprehend her and that she’s “guilty of a $10 million fraud.”
The man tells her that his name is Officer John Black and that he’s from the Social Security Administration. His “supervisor” takes over the line at one point, his name is Officer Brown. Hmm, color theme in their department?
Inside Edition reported that she ended up providing her street address (for the Appex Police Department, of course).
Captain Stephens chuckled during the conversation and played along with the scammers, but her goal was to keep them on the line. That’s because she wanted the public to see the lengths criminals will go to.
She recommends that if you receive a similar call to immediately hang up. Stephens also provided advice if ever you were cornered on the phone by a scammer.
In her interview with Inside Edition she warned:
“Never give out your date of birth, your social security number, bank account information, anything that’s very personal.”
What’s important to know is that if someone didn’t know how far scammers go to obtain information, the threat of police involvement could easily intimidate a person into giving in. It’s a good thing Stephens is sharing this so hopefully, it can help others.
On the USA Gov website, they also have a recommendation for another scam:
“Don’t say anything if a caller starts the call asking, “Can you hear me?” This is a common tactic for scammers to record you saying “yes.” Scammers record your “yes” response to use as proof that you agreed to a purchase or credit card charge.”
Watch the video below to see Captain Stephens have some fun with the scammers. How ironic that was the number they called?
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