Amarillo Residents Targeted by Fake Police Sergeant Phone Scams

In a recent incident reported by the Amarillo Police Department on their Facebook page, a local Amarillo citizen found themselves the target of a potentially dangerous scam.

This Amarillo citizen mentioned in this APD post received a voicemail from an individual claiming to be an Amarillo Police Sergeant. The voicemail raised the issue of a civil matter and provided the name of Craig Catherine, an APD patrol officer within the department. Adding a layer of "authenticity" to their con, the scammer left a phone number that appeared to be linked to the Amarillo Police Department.

Thankfully, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the number belonged to a Greenville, SC Police Department fax machine.

Soon after receiving this fraudulent phone call, the Amarillo citizen called the APD office using the official phone number on their website. They were able to Speak with Seargent Craig Catherine and confirmed that the information provided by the phone call was indeed fake.

The APD went on in the Facebook post to emphasize the need to remain cautious when receiving phone calls claiming to be public officials.

"PLEASE don't just automatically believe them when they say they are someone official. SCAMMERS will try anything including threatening you. If it really is the police, then when you look up the number and call us back, we will tell you and we will tell you what you need to do next."

Amarillo Police Department

Thankfully no one was scammed in this instance, but this case can be used as yet another reminder to remain cautious when receiving messages or calls from unknown individuals.