Fairhope police are cautioning residents to hang up on callers claiming to be law enforcement officers after a wave of scam calls hit both sides of Mobile Bay over the holiday weekend. The warning comes just a week after the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office issued a similar alert about callers impersonating deputies.
According to Fairhope police, one resident reported receiving a call from a man identifying himself as a longtime lieutenant with a fictitious “Baldwin County Police Department.” A neighboring resident received a separate call from someone claiming to represent the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. In both cases, the callers pressured elderly victims to pay roughly $1,000 in supposed fines by early the next afternoon, threatening arrest over claims the victims had failed to appear for jury duty.
Police say what made the calls especially unsettling was how much personal information the scammers already had, including the victims’ ages, names, addresses and phone numbers. During the calls, the scammers extracted even more details from their targets. In at least one instance, the caller followed up by emailing a fabricated warrant to the victim to add legitimacy to the threat.
Officials say scammers targeting the Mobile area have used a similar playbook, telling residents that a family member had been arrested or had an outstanding warrant, then instructing them to purchase a prepaid debit card to settle the supposed debt over the phone.
Law enforcement agencies stress that no legitimate police department or sheriff’s office will ever call demanding immediate payment over the phone, especially through prepaid cards. A Fairhope police spokesman urged residents never to share personal information with unsolicited callers, noting that much of what scammers use to sound convincing is already available through public records and online searches.
Residents are encouraged to hang up immediately on any caller claiming to be a law enforcement officer requesting money and to instead call their local police department directly to verify any claims. The Federal Trade Commission also maintains guidance for identifying and reporting phone scams on its consumer website.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call of this nature is asked to contact the Fairhope Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, or the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office to file a report. Officials say documenting these calls helps investigators track patterns and warn other residents before more people fall victim to the scheme.