Scammers are using fake police video calls in California to scare people into paying or sharing details. A call that looks official can still be a fraud.
Scammers are posing as California officials and using video calls to look like real police, KTLA reports. The callers threaten their targets. The video is what makes it work. Seeing someone who appears to be an officer feels more real than a plain phone call or a text message.
The callers claim to be California officials and use video to look the part. Then they make threats. The goal is to scare a person into acting fast, either by paying money or by handing over personal details. Video adds a layer of trust that older scams did not have.
Anyone who gets a call could be a target, especially in California. That includes older adults, families and small business owners. Nobody needs to be in trouble with the law to get one of these calls. The scam depends on fear, not on facts.
Real police do not threaten arrest over video and then demand payment or personal details. If a caller does that, treat it as a red flag, no matter how official the screen looks. A uniform, a badge or an office backdrop on camera proves nothing.
The alert box above lists the steps. The short version: hang up, send nothing, and check with the agency using a number you look up yourself. Tell family members too, since relatives may get the same call.
The report does not say how many people have been contacted, how much money has been lost, or which agencies are being imitated. It also does not say how the callers pick their targets. More details may come out as police respond.
If a video caller claims to be police and makes threats, hang up and call the agency yourself using a number you find on your own.
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