The perpetrators of this scam are very convincing, using various names and ranks to sound authoritative. The victim is given an overseas or satellite phone number to call the crash scene.  Calling the phone number results in a large fee on the victim's phone bill and the money goes to the criminals. These calls seem to be occurring most often in the Lincoln Park and downriver area.

Residents need to be aware this is a scam; the MSP will never notify anyone of a serious crash over the phone.  The MSP will always send a trooper to your residence to make this notification.

To avoid becoming a victim of a scam, the MSP reminds you to:

• Never give personal information to unknown callers.
• Never respond to unsolicited e-mails from unknown senders.
• Confirm the identity of a contact by independently speaking with the identified source (your bank, credit card company, government agency, etc.).
• Use a reliable source, such as the phone book, to confirm the contact's phone number or e-mail.
• Report any suspicious contacts to police.