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SALT LAKE CITY — Someone claiming to be a police officer is trying to scam students and faculty at the University of Utah, according to university police.
In the past few days, the University of Utah Police Department has received at least four reports of phone calls to students and faculty members in which the caller claims to be a university police officer. The caller demands money for an outstanding warrant.
That type of scam is not new, according to University of Utah Police Sgt. Ryan Speers. But this case is different because the scammer is “spoofing” the calls, making them appear as though they're coming from the university's police department.
“In the 10 years I've been here, I've never known of a scam where they've actually spoofed our information,” Speers said. “It definitely hits a little closer to home when it's, 'Hey, this information is supposedly coming from your department.’”
Individuals targeted by the scam were concerned and confused when they contacted police.
“Everybody's been alarmed, so they've in turn called the police department and kind of asked, 'Hey, I want to make sure I've got this warrant, I have this story straight.' And it's like, 'what are you talking about? '" Speers said.
The caller seems to have some identifying information about the victims, like their first and middle names, Speers added. Investigators are not sure how the caller is getting that information.
Speers admits crimes like these can be tough to investigate because of the spoofing technology. Still, anyone who has received one of those calls should contact the university police.
