Scammers turn police program into scam

FRANKFORT, Ind. (WISH) - Police in Frankfort are urging people to be on the lookout for would-be thieves trying to use a legitimate police program as a way to scam people.

It has to do with the department’s Property Watch program. When people leave town for a while, police offer them the chance to call in and tell them how long they’ll be gone. Officers then keep a closer eye on the property until the homeowners return.

But authorities are putting the word out that, as they promote this program, thieves are apparently trying to use it to clean residents out.

"I think it's one of those cases where a program has become popular and someone is looking to benefit off of that through a scam," said Chief Troy Bacon.

Over the last few weeks, Bacon said people have called the department to complain about getting a phone call from someone identifying himself as an officer. The person offers the homeowner a chance to enroll in the department’s Property Watch program and wants to know when they’ll be gone.

But Bacon said his department does not ever call anyone.

"So anyone who receives a telephone call from someone representing the police department, offering to enroll them in that program is obviously a scam," he said.

Bacon said the scammers are trying to determine when people will be away from home.

“Scams don't really surprise me,” said Bacon. “But what does surprise me a little bit is that people could still be victimized. There's just so much out there that isn't real. And it's up to us as police to try to communicate that and to educate people that there are scams out there.”

If you get a suspicious phone call you suspect might be a scam, police say it’s important to try to write down the phone number, get as much information about the caller as you can, and then call police immediately.