Delaware police warn of scam that spoofs their phone number

DOVER, Del. (AP) - State police in Delaware are warning of a phone scam in which someone is spoofing their number.

Delaware State Police said in a statement Thursday that victims are receiving phone calls from a Delaware State Police issued phone number.

Recipients of the phone calls are then told that a family member has been in an accident and needs money wired to them because they are injured, or to pay a traffic ticket or bail.

A state police spokesman said investigators are trying to determine the origin of the calls, which have been received by scores of residents in Delaware and 19 other states, some as far away as California and Oregon.

State police said that the scammers “can be very convincing” and are “playing on the emotional vulnerability of the victim.”

State police said that they never request payment for fines, traffic tickets or bail. Those transactions are conducted by the courts and never over the phone.