Northport Police Join Others Warning Community of Phone Scams

Local law enforcement continues to combat phone scams aimed at deceiving the gullible into giving personal information or cash to bad actors, with the Northport Police Department warning Tuesday of an uptick in recent calls.

In a press release, Assistant Chief Keith Carpenter said that locals are reporting receiving calls from individuals identifying themselves as officers working for the NPD.

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The scammers leave a call-back number, where an automated attendant collects personal information from those who ring it.

"This is a scam and officers from the City of Northport Police Dept. will never call you and ask for personal information or payment," Carpenter said. "If you are unsure about a call, please dial 205-339-6600 to speak with a dispatcher."

The warning comes days after a similar message from the County Sheriff's Office. Their investigators have received a report of scam callers impersonating deputies and threatening to jail victims over allegedly missed jury duty.

In that scheme, the scammers offer a quickly paid fine as the only alternative to jail, and are trying to scare victims into handing over cash, electronic payments or hard-to-cancel gift cards to make the made-up problem go away.

"Let us be very clear: This is a scam," TCSO said.

All readers should be cautious when answering calls from unknown numbers, hang up on anyone claiming to be law enforcement who then presses for identifying information or money, and report suspicious calls to the agency being impersonated.

No police agency will ever ask you for money over the phone, and certainly not through some convoluted gift card scheme.