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 #2023-00117885

Incident Type

Fraud

Incident Date

03/23/2023 - 8:34 PM

Address

Madison

Details

The Madison Police Department is warning the community about a scam where people are pretending to be MPD employees and requesting money to remedy a missed court appearance.

A woman received a call from a scammer pretending to be an MPD sergeant Thursday night. The scammer told the woman she missed a court hearing and needed to pay $7,000 because she was "in contempt of court."

The woman realized this was fake and hung up. She then immediately reported the incident to police.

The Madison Police Department does not call individuals and demand or request money from community members under any circumstances.

MPD, along with other legitimate law enforcement agencies, will never call community members seeking payment for outstanding traffic citations or warrants. This includes claims of unpaid federal or state taxes.

Below is a list of tips to help avoid becoming a victim to this type of scam:

Never give personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller or email.
Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
Stay private. Regularly update privacy settings for social media sites. Scammers often make their stories more believable by trolling for personal information on Facebook, Twitter and similar sites.

If you receive a similar call, hang up. Do not provide any of your private information. And contact your local law enforcement agency when possible.

Released 03/24/2023 at 12:48 PM by PIO Stephanie Fryer