Scammer that displayed police’s phone number steals nearly $10k from Hingham resident

HINGHAM, Mass. — Police are warning the public after a resident reportedly fell victim to a scammer for thousands of dollars on Friday.

According to Lt. Steve Dearth, a 65-year-old woman received a call from a Caller ID displaying the Hingham Police Department’s business phone number (781-749-1212).

The scammer, who allegedly spoke with a Southern accent, told the victim he was a Hingham Police Officer and that she failed to appear in court for a federal summons. The fake officer threatened to arrest the victim if she didn’t pay $9,500 in Bitcoin immediately, according to authorities.

Police say after telling the victim to remain on the phone until the transaction went through, the victim went to her bank and withdrew the cash before going to a Bitcoin ATM. The victim then deposited the cash and the scammer gave her account numbers which she believed belonged to Hingham Police.

After depositing the $9,500 into the accounts, the scammer hung up.

The victim reported she received another phone call a short time later from the same scammer who said they found an additional federal charge and needed another $9,500.

Realizing she had been scammed, the victim hung up and immediately drove to the police station.

“Remember, Caller ID can be spoofed to display anything name or number,” police said in a warning to residents. “he police will never call you to warn you about an arrest or threaten you with being arrested. The police will never ask, demand or collect money. As in most phone scams, the caller wants you to stay on the phone with them (sometimes for hours) until the money is actually sent. This is to keep you isolated to prevent you from calling someone or checking to see if the call is legitimate.”

Officials are reminding the public you can always hang up on unsolicited callers.

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