ALICE, Texas — Officers with the Alice Police Department are advising residents to stay on the lookout for scammers.
Alice police advise residents to stay vigilant because if you are not careful, scammers could take your money or even worse; personal information.
The Criminal Investigation Division with the APD had their hands full after receiving multiple reports of phone scammers targeting area residents.
Scammers have been seeking personal information in connection with victims' online purchases.
Alice Police Lt. Enrique Saenz says the department discovered scammers were able to clone a local phone number and call nearby residents.
Alice police were able to track the owner of the phone number, but officers say the holder of the number was able to verify that these calls did not come from him.
Officers say people must be cautious, especially during this ongoing health crisis.
“And that just alerted people that they need to be careful during the COVID-19 pandemic there’s going to people out there trying to take advantage of the situation,” Saenz said.
Officers also advise people to be careful and if you feel that you are a victim of a scam, to let the authorities know right away.
“If you don’t have an account with them, if you didn’t make a purchase with them, don’t provide them that information," Saenz said. "Some people may think they are going to get something free by accident and they are going to wind up losing their identification like that."
