Police impersonation scam
The frequency and sophistication of malicious scams are on the rise. Victims are left financially and emotionally devastated by these attacks. In technology parlance, a scam that exploits a person is called “social engineering.”
The most sophisticated scam I’ve encountered occurred while writing my MBA thesis for a Chicago counseling center. It cost the targeted therapist $3,000 with no possibility of recourse.
Here’s the excerpt:
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In late 2019, a person impersonating a Chicago police officer left a voice mail for a therapist indicating that one of their clients was involved in a court case and that the therapist should call back immediately. The therapist didn't hear the message until the following day and called back that morning. The officer told the therapist the court had delivered a summons to appear in court, and that the court had a confirmation receipt that Optimum Joy received the summons. The therapist had failed to appear in court, so the court placed a warrant out for the therapist's arrest. The therapist was quite upset about this news and asked what they needed to do. The officer explained that the therapist should come to the downtown police station and should bring bail with them so that they would not need to stay overnight in jail. The officer stated that no payment could be received except reloadable Visa cards, and instructed the therapist to go to a local grocery store and purchase several. The entire time, the officer required the therapist to remain on the phone or risk adding further charges. Finally, on the way to the downtown police station, the officer demanded that the therapist gives him the Visa card information over the phone. Once the therapist shared the information, the officer became abusive and threatened the therapist before the therapist finally hung up the phone, terrified.
When the therapist replayed the events, she recognized the clues that this was not a real police officer. Still, the stress of the moment revealed many misconceptions about how the court should give a real summons. The therapist was trained to keep client information confidential and was expecting that, if this were false, the fake officer would be after client information. Because the fake officer was careful not to ask for or divulge any client information, the therapist's warning signals were silent until she was too upset to make rational decisions.