Scam callers impersonating Westlake police, targeting residents

WESTLAKE, Ohio (WJW) – Residents in Westlake and surrounding communities began receiving unexpected calls and messages on their cell phones on Thursday from someone claiming to be a representative of the Westlake Police Department.

In a message left on a resident’s voicemail, the caller said, “hello, this is Westlake Police Department. I’m Lt. Timothy Good. I’m contacting today in regards to documents which we are trying to receive. Please give me a call back at 440-(deleted). Have a wonderful day.”

Police say there is not a “Lt. Timothy Good” on the Westlake force and the calls are being made by scammers, who are attempting to frighten potential victims by convincing them they are in trouble with the law.

“It indicates to whoever answers the phone that they have warrants out for their arrest because they didn’t show up for jury duty. That is the specific thing they’re saying this time,” WPD Captain Jerry Vogel said.

The scammers indicate that to resolve the issue with police, those receiving the bogus calls need to take immediate action.

“They’ll say ‘you’re in trouble, the police are out looking for you, you can clear up this bond or you can clear up this warrant by paying up. Go buy gift cards, read me the numbers over the phone, we’ll clear up the warrant for you. Go take some money of the bank, put it in a Bitcoin and put it in this Bitcoin Wallet, we’ll clear up this bond for you,’” said Vogel.

Investigators say it is important to note that no legitimate agency would ever ask anyone to settle a bond, warrant or any other kind of debt with gift cards, cryptocurrency or cash sent through the mail.

FOX 8 called the number provided by the scammers several times. They did not answer in person, but we discovered that the cyber criminals continue to impersonate Westlake police in their voicemail message.

The impersonator is heard saying, “thank you for contacting Westlake Police Department. If this is an emergency call, please hang up and dial 911. If you’re trying to speak with any officers here for further assistance, leave your name, number, reason for contacting and we will get back with you as soon as we can. Have a wonderful day.”

The real Westlake Police Department issued an alert about the fake police calls out of concern that some of those receiving the calls might fall for the scam.

“Unfortunately, a lot of times they target the more elderly of our population, someone who would be more scared. These scammers are good, they use verbal cues and scare tactics to have these people do what they want them to do. They even tell them ‘don’t tell your family or friends, you’re going to be embarrassed, I’m going to put it out on the internet, we’re going to come and arrest you.’ They scare them into not telling anybody or asking for help and they just go do it,” said Vogel.

As a result, investigators are now urging families to have a conversation with older relatives about the fake calls and the tactics used by the scammers.

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