The Shelton Police Department has received approximately a dozen reports from people stating they received a call from Detective Richard Bango of the Shelton Police Department. The caller ID has the legitimate police department number of 203-924-1544. The caller states either there is a warrant for the person’s arrest or that they need to talk to them about an urgent matter. The caller will then demand gift cards be sent to an address. The address is a legitimate address, but the caller will then ask for the gift card number and pin over the phone.

Any legitimate law enforcement officer will not demand cash or gift cards from a member of the public. Scammers are now going online and getting actual officer’s names to make the scam look legitimate. Scammers can rig a caller ID to look like they’re calling from the police department. This is called spoofing. Scammers can easily spoof a caller ID to try to gain your trust.

If you receive a phone call from someone stating they are a Shelton Police Officer and are unsure if it is legitimate, regardless of the caller ID, tell them you will call them right back on the routine line to ensure they are the right person. And again Shelton Police Officers will not demand cash or gift cards from a member of the public. The routine line of the Shelton Police Department is (203) 924-1544.

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