Scam Call Awareness For Citizens of Amarillo

The Amarillo Police Department has received phone calls from citizens about potential scam activity. 

The calls people are receiving are listed as City of Amarillo numbers.

Phone numbers can be spoofed, or made to look like a genuine numbers, to increase the believability of the phone call. 

Common scams include Social Security, IRS, Microsoft, Craigslist, the Grandparent Scam, and Law Enforcement scams. 

No legitimate city official, officer, or government worker will threaten you over the phone, ask for payment over the phone, or ask for alternate payment methods like gift cards, prepaid cards, wire transfers, or cash sent through the mail. 

If you have concerns about what someone is telling you over the phone, hang up and call the genuine number of the agency in question, which will assist in the issue, and let you know if you are a victim of a scam. 

Microsoft Scams are started by a phone call or email claiming to be from Microsoft. After starting the conversation, the scammer will manipulate you into installing malicious software to steal personal and banking information and attempt to charge you for fake services. Microsoft will NEVER contact you in regards to their services or for refunds, any Microsoft contact must be started by you. 

The Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service will never call for reconciling taxes or attempting to cancel your social security. Never give your social security number over the phone. Contact will be started with these groups as a letter in the mail. Additionally, APD will not call to enforce tax issues from the SSA or the IRS. Here are links with information for IRS Scams and SSA Scams. 

Xcel Energy will send a letter prior to turning off your power, and will not call you to request payment, nor will they ask for prepaid cards or Green Dot cards. You can check the status of your account by calling Xcel at 1-800-481-4700.

Be wary when selling something on craigslist. A buyer can reach out and send you a check with more money than the asking price, and ask you to reimburse them. The check will be fraudulent and may not immediately be seen as fake until you have sent the difference, which will lead to your loss in money. Deal locally when you are buying or selling items online.