Another day, another scam. It would be nice if scammers would lay off during the pandemic, but no, they've been ramping up and using the pandemic as an opportunity to take advantage of us while we're distracted and stressed.

The Grand Rapids Police department say they've received several complaints about scam in which callers are impersonating Police Chief Eric Payne and pretending to be conducting an investigation. The call turns into the scammer asking for money. GRPD say the calls appear to come from City of Grand Rapids phone line “456-3400,” but are being spoofed.

Public Information Officer Sergeant Dan Adams said in a release,

“The Grand Rapids Police Department, including Chief Eric Payne, will not contact community members by phone asking for, or demanding, money. We urge residents to be cautious when receiving unsolicited calls for donations.”

 

What should you do if you get a call like this? Hang up! And don't give the person on the line any of your personal information. The GRPD say if you want to check the legitimacy of a call you get from police, you should call the GRPD at 616-456-3400 or check the IRS website at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ for registered charities.

To report a scam you can also file a complaint online with the Michigan Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division here or by calling 877-765-8388.

You can find more information from the State of Michigan about recognizing scams and what to do if you've been the victim of a scam here.

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