Palm Springs Police Warn of Scammers Posing as Officers

Palm Springs Police are warning the community about scammers calling residents and pretending to be officers with the department.

The department says it's received multiple reports of callers claiming people have an outstanding warrant, unpaid traffic fines, or missed a court date or jury summons. Once residents are on the phone, the callers pressure them to pay immediately, warning that officers will be sent to arrest them if they hang up.

Some callers spoof the department's real phone number and use the names of actual officers, along with fake badge and case numbers, to sound convincing. Police say the goal is to create panic so people make quick decisions without stopping to think.

"Scammers create urgency. Legitimate law enforcement does not," the department said in its warning.

Police stressed they will never call demanding immediate payment to avoid arrest, and they will never ask someone to pay using gift cards, cryptocurrency, Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, or wire transfers.

If you get one of these calls, the department says to stay calm and hang up. Look up the department's official number yourself, rather than calling any number the caller provides, and call to verify whether the claim is real. Police also ask that people report the incident to their local law enforcement agency.

The department did not cite a specific incident or say how many people have reported being targeted.