BOSTON — The Boston Police Department warned residents of an increase in scams in which callers pose as police officers or court officials to steal money.

According to police, the callers typically claim there is a warrant for the person's arrest, threaten jail time or say an immediate payment is needed to settle a matter such as missed jury duty. Most of the scams are carried out by phone, police said, and the callers may give fake case or badge numbers, use the names of real officers or fake an official phone number so the call appears to come from a real agency.

In one case described by the department, the scammers asked for payment in bitcoin and made the victim join a Zoom meeting set up to look like a court hearing.

Police said victims are often pressured to send money right away by wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment apps, and in some cases by buying gold bars.

The department said police and government agencies will never demand immediate payment over the phone, and that no legitimate agency will ask to be paid with gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or gold. Caller ID can be faked, police said, and people should not give personal or financial information to anyone who contacts them unexpectedly.

Police said anyone who gets such a call should hang up and call the agency directly using a number they know is genuine. People who think they have been targeted or defrauded should file a report at a Boston police station, the department said. Further help is available through the Federal Trade Commission and IdentityTheft.gov, particularly if a Social Security number or other personal information may have been exposed.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency or political press release and published by The New England Signal. Why we use AI for stories like this one.