Police Incident Reports A Selection of Noteworthy Incident Reports

Incidents listed are selected by the Officer In Charge of each shift that may have significant public interest. Incidents listed are not inclusive of all incidents. To view Calls for Services information, please visit communitycrimemap.com. Requests for information can be directed to the MPD Records Unit: (608) 266-4075.

Incident Report for Case #2022-906062

Incident Type

Fraud

Incident Date

12/27/2022 - 1:14 PM

Address

University Ave.

Details

The Madison Police Department is warning residents about a police impersonation scam after a college student almost lost $30,000.

The scam was reported to MPD around 1:15 p.m. on Monday.

A woman received phone calls, emails and text messages from someone pretending to be a Chinese police officer. The fake officer instructed her to pay the money due to her involvement in a criminal investigation.

The woman tried to send the money, but thankfully her bank flagged the transaction as suspicious.

This type of scam typically targets the foreign student population and often results in large financial losses. Scammers are also known to impersonate the IRS, Medicare, the Federal Trade Commission, doctors and your grandkids.

In these situations, scammers may know your name, mention the call is being recorded, claim you've missed a court appearance and tell you to take action immediately to avoid being arrested.

The best way to avoid being fooled is to never send money to strangers. Law enforcement agencies will never ask you to purchase bitcoin, gift cards or wire money as part of their investigations.

MPD also advises against sharing information like your address, social security number or bank account information to strangers over the phone.

And do not give in to the pressure. Scammers have been known to try and threaten people. If you ever find yourself in this situation, please reach you to your local agency's non-emergency number, independently.

Released 12/28/2022 at 8:19 AM by PIO Stephanie Fryer