Newington police warn of scam calls where people claim to be officers

NEWINGTON, CT (WFSB) – Newington police are warning of a telephone scam where people claim to be officers.

The department said it has received several calls from residents to report the scam.

According to police, the scammers tell residents that they have unpaid traffic violations.

The residents are then told they need to pay for the violations using prepaid credit cards, police said.

Newington police listed things to keep in mind if you do get a call like this:

The Newington Police Department never demands instant payment over the phone, require the use of pre-paid debit cards or request residents meet at a payment center to pay traffic citations.
Traffic citations are only paid through the CT State Centralized Infractions Bureau not directly to the municipality that issued the infraction.
Never provide personal financial or account information to any unsolicited person on the phone, at the door or online, even if they seem legitimate.
Beware – some sophisticated scammers can manipulate their caller ID to say the caller is with the Newington Police Department. The caller ID on the calls reported to the Newington Police have shown up as the Newington Police routine telephone number 860-666-8445.
Residents are encouraged to directly contact the Newington Police Department by phone or in person anytime they receive a request for payment.