Suspects are pretending to be Brookline Police Officers to steal money. The scammer in this call claims to have important documents for the victim and offers a phone number for them to call. When the victim calls, they’re instructed to send money via cryptocurrency or they’ll go to jail.

What makes this scam even more believable is the scammers will change the caller ID to appear as if it came from a legitimate Brookline police number. This is often referred to as caller ID spoofing.

If you ever receive a call like this, first confirm what police department they’re calling from and what their name is. Next, inform the person you’ll call the main dispatch number of that police department and if they are who they claim to be, the call taker will put them in touch. This will usually render the scammer stymied and the scam attempt will be over.

Remember, a police department will never solicit money over the phone or otherwise. If you have any question about the legitimacy of a call from law enforcement or other government official, you can always confirm who they are by calling the agency's main phone number. And again, never give personal information to anyone over the phone.

With these simple tips, you can protect yourself from becoming a scam victim.