Baldwin police warn of scam caller claiming to be department’s chief

The Baldwin Borough Police Department is warning residents of a phone scam where someone impersonates the department’s chief.

In a post on Facebook, the department says it learned of the scam on Friday after they were contacted by a community member targeted by the scam.

In this instance, a male caller identified himself as “Anthony Cortazzo, Baldwin police chief” and accused a woman of being involved in a crime involving Homeland Security. The man already had some of the woman’s personal information and claimed he wanted to transfer her to another “agent” for a 30-45 minute phone interview. He also told her not to tell anyone about the call.

The caller ID of this scam is spoofed to show the department’s phone number.

Anyone who gets a similar call should not provide the caller with any personal information and should contact the police. As a result of this scam, Baldwin police say anyone needing to report an identity theft or suspicious phone call should come to the station in person or have police come to their home instead of reporting over the phone. This change is so residents are sure they’re speaking with an officer.

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