The Nebraska State Patrol is alerting the public of a scam going around Nebraska this week. Over the last few days, NSP has received multiple reports of scammers spoofing Nebraska State Patrol phone numbers, attempting to scam victims.
“Scammers will use any method they think may work to try to steal your money or personal information,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Scammers often attempt to pose as a trusted entity, such as law enforcement. In this case, they are posing as Nebraska State Patrol representatives.”
NSP has received reports from two different areas of the state regarding members of the public receiving phone calls that appeared to come from NSP offices in Grand Island or Lincoln. These phone calls are referred to as spoofing, an act of mimicking a phone number when in reality it is a scammer on the line. The scammer then tries to steal personal information by telling the victim they have active warrants or need to pay a fine. The call recipient has not fallen for the scam in any of the reported occurrences in the last few days.
“The Nebraska State Patrol never calls members of the public regarding payment of fines or active warrants,” said Colonel Bolduc. “We urge the public to be vigilant with any such phone call and never give out personal information in such cases.”
NSP provides the following guidance regarding suspicious or potentially scam phone calls: Do not provide personal or financial information unless you initiated the phone call or are absolutely sure you are talking to the intended group. Any reputable organization will allow you to hang up and call back so you can ensure you are speaking to the correct entity and aren’t being scammed.