The Bradenton Beach Police Department is warning people about a phone scam in which a caller impersonates a detective and uses the department’s non-emergency number, 941-778-6311, as the caller ID.
The scam surfaced July 23 when multiple people called the station to report receiving calls from someone claiming to be a detective. The caller told victims they had missed a court date and needed to pay a bond to avoid arrest.
At least one person was defrauded of $4,000 after being instructed to wire funds from a Bradenton bank, according to BBPD.
“She said they told her you need to pay a security bond before you get to the courthouse because if you show up without paying that, you’ll be arrested,” said BBPD Detective Lt. Lenard Diaz.
Diaz emphasized that BBPD would never make such calls.
“We don’t do that. That would be the courthouse or civil department calling to let them know they missed a court date,” he said.
Within a few hours of identifying the scam, BBPD issued a news release to alert the public.
Phone number spoofing is a type of fraud in which scammers use software to falsify the number that appears on a recipient’s caller ID, tricking people into answering and providing personal information or money.
Such scams often employ high-pressure tactics, including threats of legal action or arrest.
To avoid becoming a victim, experts recommend never sharing financial or personal information over the phone, especially when the caller initiates contact.
When in doubt, hang up and call the organization directly using a verified phone number.
In this case, the caller spoofed BBPD’s official number using an app designed to mask phone numbers.
People receiving such a call should hang up and report the incident to BBPD at 941-778-6311.