MANHATTAN — The Riley County Police Department is looking into an incident that scammed a Manhattan woman out of $20,000.
Department officials have been warning the public about this type of scam for the last two weeks on its Facebook page, where this information was posted. The scam involves a suspect disguising his or her number as the main line for RCPD’s number. They then use names of RCPD leadership, such as Director Dennis Butler, to convince the victims they are really with the department. So far scammers have used different reasons for calling, but all claim to be associated with RCPD.
The victim purchased gift cards and gave the scammers the numbers, allowing them access to the funds. RCPD says a good indicator for a scam call is if they ask to be paid in gift cards. The department says it will never call anyone unsolicited and ask for money, payment or personal information.
The department encourages anyone to verify with the department if a call like this doesn’t feel right by calling their non-emergent line at (785) 537-2112.
Lastly, the post says that while this information may seem common knowledge to some, residents need to speak with their loved ones to make sure they do not fall victim to incidents like this.
