Petaluma police: increasing number of phone scams

Petaluma police said Friday there’s been an increase in the number of telephone scams related to people’s Social Security accounts and student debt loans.

Police said three such calls were made to the police department on Friday, prompting a detective to go along with the scam as a way getting the scammer’s “MO.”

The caller posed as a Social Security worker and said the detective’s Social Security account had been compromised and was now tied to numerous checking accounts being used in drug traffickers. The detective was then transferred to two other people, one of them posing as a law enforcement officer.

Ultimately, the callers said the matter could be cleared up if the detective drove to a 7-Eleven or Walmart and purchased $500 worth of “Hotel” cards. The caller threatened arrest if the detective did not comply with the instructions.

The police detective only pretended to comply and the scam ended with the caller hanging up angrily. Police ask residents to be aware of people who identify themselves as law enforcement or federal officials.

“The Social Security Administration will not ask people to pay with gift cards to avoid arrests,” police said in a statement.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.