El Cerrito Police Issue ‘Vishing’ Scam Advisory

EL CERRITO, CA — An advisory has been issued warning the public to be aware of “vishing” scams following an El Cerrito community member’s report of a suspected incident, police said.

The resident contacted authorities after receiving a call from a scammer who spoofed the El Cerrito Police Department’s phone number, which appeared on the resident’s caller ID, police said.

“The caller identified themselves as a member of the Department and stated they were calling about a family member being a victim of ID theft and tried to obtain some personal information,” the El Cerrito Police Department said in a statement.

“The astute community member felt that wasn't legitimate and told the caller they were going to call the Department to verify their identity. The caller said some unkind words and hung up.”

This vishing or telephone scam is not uncommon as scammers are able to use spoofing applications to present a fake caller ID in order to seem legitimate, police said.

The public is advised not to give out financial data, such as Social Security numbers or credit card information to callers they don’t know, police said.

Among the common scams to be aware of are callers falsely identifying themselves as IRS agents to collect a debt.

Other scams include offers of free vacations or claims that a family member is in jail and needs bail or lawyer fees.

“If you receive a telephone call from one of our officers that you did not initiate and don't feel comfortable talking without verification, you can always ask for a case number as a reference, the officer's name/badge number and then call the Department to verify the identify of the officer,” the ECPD’s statement said.

Anyone suspecting such a scam is encouraged to call the El Cerrito Police Department at (510) 215-4400 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or to call police dispatch during nonbusiness hours at (510) 237-3233.

For more information on scams, how to avoid them and where to report them visit here.