Springdale police warn residents of phone scam

Springdale police are warning residents about a phone scam.

People are contacting residents on the phone, pretending to be members of the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department. The caller says the department is in financial trouble and that donations are needed.

“The scammer may know some personal information about you, or may be using a script that relies on responses to fill in the blanks while speaking with you. To make the story seem more credible, the scammer might put someone else on the phone to play up the scam,” a social media post by the department reads in part.

In most cases, the scammer instructs residents to go to their financial institution and withdraw cash and send it to an address through a shipping company. The scammer may even offer to send someone to collect the money at residents’ homes, the department said.

They advised that the fire department does not call or solicit money in this way.

Anyone who has receives such a call is urged to hang up and call 911.

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