Michigan State Police Warn of New Phone Scam

The Michigan State Police (MSP) are warning residents of a new phone scam being reported that involves people posing as members of the MSP and claiming you must pay money to clear a warrant.

According to the MSP, citizens have reported calls in which the caller claims to be a member of law enforcement. The caller says there is a warrant for your arrest and to avoid being arrested you must pay a fine.

The MSP warns that scams can take many forms, but citizens should know that law enforcement will never call to notify you of a warrant and ask for money and bank account information.

Most scams involve obtaining a victim's personal information under false pretenses. The scammer usually portrays a sense of urgency, pretending to be an official to fool a victim into providing personal information or money.

The MSP offers these tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:

• Do not give personal information to unknown callers.
• Do not respond to unsolicited emails from unknown senders.
• Confirm the identity of a contact by independently speaking with the identified source (your bank, credit card company, government agency, etc.).
• Ask for a call-back name and number and then use a reliable source, such as the phone book, to confirm the contact's phone number or email.
• Report any suspicious contacts to police.