BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The Bakersfield Police Department is warning residents after they say citizens received calls from scammers pretending to be BPD Sergeants.
According to BPD, scammers are calling residents as BPD Sergeants and informing them they must pay off a warrant they have in order to avoid jail time.
BPD says these calls are scams, and urges people to call the department at (661) 327-7111 when in doubt.
BPD is also warning residents of another scam regarding phone numbers out of Mauritania, a country in Northwest Africa.
BPD says the phone rings briefly and then the caller hangs up, prompting many people to call back in confusion. BPD says the scammer's goal is to be persistent enough to get a callback. In many cases, this leads to the victim being connected to an international hotline that can charge per minute. BPD says these charges may show up on your bill as premium services.
BPD says if you get a phone call like this, the best thing to do is not engage, meaning do not pick up and do not call the number back. BPD urges residents to hang up immediately on calls where there appears to be no recipient on the other end.
BPD also encourages residents to not call back any number that leaves you a blank voicemail message and not to provide any personal information, such as name and address and financial information.
