Several University of Wisconsin-Madison parents have received calls from scammers impersonating University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department (UWPD) officers and demanding bail money for their students this week.
UWPD has received three reports from parents who received these calls since Thursday. The caller identifies themselves as a UWPD officer, giving a real officer’s name, and claims the parents’ child has been detained by police.
The scammer demands a money transfer via PayPal, Venmo or ApplePay for bail, according to UWPD. No parents fell for the trap and all called UWPD to verify.
UWPD — or any police department — will never call people and demand money.
To keep the UW-Madison community safe, UWPD provided these tips.
If anyone receives a phone call from someone saying they are a police officer or government employee, and they demand money, do not engage and immediately hang up.
Never provide bank account, credit card or personal information to a random caller.
If a call makes someone feel threatened or unsafe, they should hang up and call 911.
If anyone receives a call like this and wants to verify its legitimacy, they can call UWPD at (608) 264-2677. Additionally, call UWPD if someone provided sensitive information to the scammer or lost money from the scam.
Mary Bosch is the college news editor and photo editor emeritus for The Daily Cardinal. She is a second year journalism and sociology student with a focus in data. Follow her on twitter: @Mary_Bosch6
