An impostor used a Maryland police officer's name to try to steal money from an unsuspecting victim.
Earlier this month, a man posing as Montgomery County police Capt. Eric Stancliff called a man and told him there was a pending warrant for failure to respond to a jury summons, police said.
The impostor told the victim he needed to go to a Safeway in Bethesda to buy debit cards.
The impostor stayed on the phone with the victim to make sure he got the right amounts on the cards, then the scammer asked for the number on the cash cards.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
The victim became suspicious, went to the police station in Bethesda and told police what happened. Police told him it was a scam, and he rushed to cancel the cards.
He almost lost $1,800, the real Capt. Stancliff said.
“We want to make sure the public knows that the police department never will contact them and ask them to pay a fine by phone,” Stancliff said.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
An unknown woman who may have been another target of the impostor also contacted Stancliff, police said.
