EDMONDS, Wash. — The Edmonds Police Department (EPD) is warning community members about a rise in sophisticated impersonation scams that target locals, particularly senior citizens.
EPD says the scammers pretend to be law enforcement officers, government officials, or bank representatives in attempts to get victims to turn over significant sums of money.
According to police, these scams typically begin when victims receive a phone call or click a link in an email, text message, or pop-up window.
Suspects falsely claim the victim is linked to major criminal investigations and faces immediate arrest.
EPD said while detectives investigate these cases, recovering stolen funds or arresting suspects is never guaranteed, making the public aware is important.
In many cases, EPD says the scammers tell victims they are under investigation for serious offenses, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, or child exploitation. Suspects claim the victim’s phone is bugged and warn them not to trust bank employees, falsely claiming that bank staff are involved in the alleged crimes.
The callers demand complete secrecy to preserve what they refer to as investigation integrity, frequently keeping victims on the phone for hours.
Victims are then instructed to transfer funds through wire transfers, purchase large amounts of gift cards, deposit cash into walk-up Bitcoin ATMs, or hand packages of cash and valuables directly to couriers at designated locations.
EPD says that legitimate agencies do not operate in this manner. “Law enforcement will never demand money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.” Officials also emphasized, “You will never be asked to keep an investigation secret from family, friends, or your bank.”
Police urged anyone receiving suspicious communication to hang up immediately and call 911 or the number on the back of your bank card.