BEAVERCREEK — The FBI has issued a new warning regarding imposter scams involving individuals posing as law enforcement officers to demand money from victims.
Between January and July, victims nationwide lost more than $1.5 billion to these extortion tactics, which police say are also increasing across the Miami Valley.
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More than 60,000 people across the country have fallen victim to imposter scams.
In Ohio, law enforcement agencies in Montgomery and Greene counties have raised alarms following multiple local incidents where fraudsters impersonated officers and deputies to deceive residents.
Local law enforcement agencies report an uptick in scammers impersonating police officers to extort residents.
Officer David Durkin of the Beavercreek Police Department noted that these incidents have become frequent in the area. “It’s becoming quite a common occurrence,” Durkin said.
Scammers often rely on intimidation tactics to pressure victims into transferring funds. Chief Jeremy Roy of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office explained that callers capitalize on the authority of law enforcement to create urgency.
“The way they can scare you the most is having an officer call you and tell you about it,” Roy said. “If this didn’t work, they wouldn’t continue to do it.”
The scheme has already resulted in severe financial distress for area residents. Dayton photographer Jamie Cox was targeted by a scammer posing as a Dayton police officer who threatened her with arrest unless she paid over $10,000. Cox lost nearly $13,000 in the encounter. “It was like, my whole savings is just finished for no reason,” Cox said.
Community awareness surrounding these extortion schemes is growing as residents share reports of scam activity.
Dayton resident Alex Elam said warnings about imposter schemes are widespread. “I just see about them all the time on social media,” Elam said. Another Dayton resident, Heather Gray, expressed concern over the massive financial impact and the vulnerability of older citizens.
“That’s a lot of money,” Gray said. “I think my mother-in-law has. I think they’re kind of targeting the elderly.”
Federal and local authorities emphasize that legitimate police departments and government agencies will never contact individuals by phone to demand money or demand immediate payment under threat of arrest.
Officials state that the best response upon receiving a suspicious phone call demanding money is to hang up immediately.
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