The Gainesville Police Department issued a fraud warning Monday to alert people about scammers pretending to be an officer.
Scammers will call from a number made to look like GPD’s and identify themselves as GPD Sgt. Nick Ferrara, according to a press release They will tell the call receiver there’s a warrant for his or her arrest for money laundering and drug offenses from a traffic stop near the U.S. and Mexico border, a press release wrote.
Nick Ferrara is the Investigation’s Bureau Commander. He leads the criminal investigations division and the special investigations division at GPD.
Callers will also say multiple fraudulent accounts and credit cards were opened in the receiver’s name. To fix the warrant issue, scammers will advise speaking to an officer. In the meantime, they will offer a safe place to move one’s money to protect it, according to the release.
GPD advises people not to provide any information to the caller and hang up immediately, spokesperson Lisa Scott wrote in an email.
Call GPD at 352-393-7600 for information about officers or employees, Scott wrote.
Contact Lily Kino at lkino@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @lily_kino.
Lily is a third-year journalism major with a concentration in environmental science covering criminal justice for The Alligator. Last semester, she served as the Santa Fe reporter. When she's not writing, you can find Lily on a nature walk, eating Domino's Pizza or spending time with her friends.
