Scammers impersonating South Windsor police chief, department warns

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (WFSB) - A scammer impersonated South Windsor’s police chief in an attempt to glean personal information from a victim, the real police department said.

South Windsor police said a person received a phone call on Wednesday from someone claiming to be Chief Kristian Lindstrom. The person’s caller ID displayed the police department’s main phone number of 860-644-2551.

The caller claimed the person was a victim of identity theft and needed to provide personal identifying information to address the issue.

However, police said the person recognized it as a scam, hung up, and came to the police department lobby to file a report.

“As a reminder, police department employees will never contact citizens and ask for personal identifying information,” South Windsor police noted in a social media post. “If you believe you may be subject to a scam, hang up the phone immediately, do not provide the caller with any information, and contact the police department if personal identifying information was given so a report can be filed and the appropriate steps can be taken to protect your identity.”

Police said identifying information to avoid giving over the phone includes date of birth and social security number.