The Monterey Police Department (MPD) has received several reports from the community regarding a telephone scam, wherein the caller purports to be a Monterey Police employee. The caller identifies themselves as a Monterey Police Officer and threatens arrest if the person does not provide funds to the caller. The impersonating caller has used different approaches to include coaxing the victim into purchasing bitcoin or gift cards and having the victim read the serial numbers from the back of the cards to the caller. The caller is then able to utilize the serial numbers to obtain the monetary value.
If you receive a suspicious phone call from someone identifying themselves as a Monterey Police Officer, you can call the Monterey Police Department (831-646-3830) to verify the officer is working and needs to speak to you. You can also report it by calling (831) 646-3914.
