Albany Police Warn of Phone Scam Targeting Residents

Scam Alert

Have you received a phone call from Albany Police? It might not be real. Scammers are spoofing the department’s phone number and threatening residents.

According to a Nixle text sent out to Albany residents, the Albany Police Department has received several reports of scammers spoofing the department’s official phone number, making it appear as if the calls are coming directly from APD.

The number being used, according to the Albany Police, is (518) 462-8013.

What Are the Scammers Doing?

• Claim you owe money
• Pretend to be an APD officer and threaten arrest if you don’t pay
• Demand payment through gift cards

Reminders from the Albany Police

The APD says that they will never call to demand payment or ask for personal or financial information over the phone. Do not provide personal information to unknown callers.

If you receive a suspicious call, the APD says to hang up immediately.

Scam Artists Target Elderly Clifton Park Man

A few weeks back, State Police in Clifton Park, working with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, arrested two heartless New York City residents last week in connection with a computer scam that targeted an elderly Saratoga County resident.

According to the New York State Police, two men were arrested. One was 26-year-old Chuncheng Lin from Brooklyn, and the other was 40-year-old Hui Lin from Flushing, who posed as representatives from the Citizens Bank fraud department, calling and messaging the victim in mid-June.

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How Did They Get The Money?

The New York State Police allegedly claimed the unnamed victim faced "legal trouble unless they handed over large sums of money in cash and gift cards."

Read More: Mysterious Light Show Appears Over Upstate New York; What Was It? 

Over one week, the victim lost more than $80,000, but the heartless fraudsters didn't stop there.

According to the report, they demanded another $30K a week later, but this time, the police were ready, and they arranged a meet-up in Halfmoon. The suspects believed they were picking up the money. Instead, they were taken into custody without incident.