Burnet police chief warns community of newest phone scam
The Burnet Police Department building, opened in 2020. File photo
The Burnet Police Department has once again warned residents of an ongoing phone scam involving callers claiming to be a representative of the BPD to try and steal sensitive personal information.
Burnet Police Chief Tony Hefferin shared in a statement posted on the city of Burnet’s Facebook on Monday, March 9, that the department had received multiple calls from residents claiming to have experienced the same scam.
“During these calls, the suspect tells the person that a fraudulent account has been opened in their name at a business,” reads the statement. “The caller then asks the person to provide personal identifying information, claiming it is needed as part of a police investigation.”
Chief Hefferin clarified that the calls were fraudulent, and that the police department will never ask for personal information over the phone.
In many cases, these callers will attempt to obtain victims’ date of birth, social security number, bank information, or address to then commit further theft or fraud.
Chief Hefferin asked community members to share notice of the fraudulent activity to those at risk.
He also advised hanging up and verifying the legitimacy of these sorts of calls prior to any action.
“If you receive a call like this, please do not provide any information,” reads the statement. “If you want to verify whether a call is legitimate, contact the Burnet Police Department directly using our official phone number.”
This ploy is the newest in a long line of text and call scams to plague the area, and one of many in recent years to mimic law enforcement agents, which, in some cases, is a felony.
For more information or to report a scam, visit the Burnet Police Department’s website or call at 512-756-6404.