BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Bakersfield Police Department has received reports of scams involving the use of a courier to steal money from victims.
BPD said victims have reported receiving phone calls with the caller claiming to be from a bank’s fraud department or a government agency telling the victim that their money is at risk.
Law enforcement said the scammer tries to convince the victim that the bank is requiting them to withdrawal their money to keep it “safe” while the bank conducts an investigation.
BPD said the scammers tell the victim to send their money to a “courier” to keep it safe and to arrange a meeting with them.
Bakersfield police are asking community members to take the following steps to help prevent scams:
Hang up the phone if the call seems suspicious.
To never give out personal information, to confirm personal information or provide any account information if you didn’t originate the call.
If you receive a call from someone saying they represent a company or government agency, hang up and call the phone number listed on your account statement, or on the organization’s website. BPD said to not use your phone’s recent call log to call back or redial the same phone number to verify if it is a scam or not.
Residents should never withdraw cash at the instruction of a caller.
Law enforcement said if you are a victim of a scam, call BPD at 661-327-7111 to file a report.
BPD also said that if you receive one of the scam calls, to report the call to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).
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