The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is warning community members of two recent phone and email scams. These scams use spoofed phone numbers or fake emails to appear to be from the police department or Colorado Springs Utilities.
The first scam will tell victims they have warrants and need to pay money to the police department to clear them. The second scam claims to be a utility worker and tells victims they haven’t paid their bill in the last three months and need payment immediately or their electricity will be shut off. Both scams will ask for payment in the form of gift cards, bitcoin, or other non-standard payment methods.
CSPD wants to let the community know that CSPD or Colorado Springs Utilities will never ask someone to pay for a warrant. If a caller asks for payment for a warrant, this should be an immediate sign that it is a scam.
If a community member is unsure if someone calling them is from the police department, they can hang up and call 719-444-7595 and select option 8 to speak to a representative who can determine if the caller works for CSPD or not.
If you have been a victim of these scams, you can also call the CSPD Non-Emergency line at 719-444-7000 to make a report.