UTPD warns students of callers pretending to be police

AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Texas at Austin Police Department (UTPD) is warning students to be aware of a recent phone scam.

UTPD says callers are pretending to be police, using fake names and possibly even software that can change their caller ID to falsely show that the call is from a local area code.

The scammer might also suggest over the phone that you must pay a fine to avoid criminal charges, says UTPD.

UTPD is also reminding students that they will never give an advance warning of an arrest, nor call to seek payment for fines or fees.

This is the second law enforcement agency to warn about calls like this in recent days. Earlier this week, the Jarrell Police Department warned its residents about someone impersonating a sheriff's deputy in Williamson County.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office later confirmed the information to FOX 7 Austin, saying the suspects are using actual names of deputies and telling potential victims they have an outstanding warrant and need to take care of it immediately. 

___
DOWNLOAD: FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
SUBSCRIBE: Daily Newsletter | YouTube
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter