By Bailey Aldridge
The News & Observer
APEX, NC — A North Carolina police captain had a little fun when she got a scam call.
The Apex Police Department posted a video on Facebook of Capt. Ann Stephens answering a phone call from a scammer, who said his name was John Black, on Tuesday.
The scammer was asking for her Social Security number, home address and other personal information and telling her she had several allegations against her, including money laundering and drug trafficking, and that she was going to be arrested, the video shows.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2419587588130284
“So a sheriff’s deputy is going to come here and arrest me?” she asks.
“Absolutely,” the caller says.
Stephens refuses to share her Social Security number or home address with the caller and instead gives him the address of the Apex Police Department.
The caller continues to pressure Stephens to share her information with him, the video shows. He claims to be trying to help her and tells her she should cooperate.
She eventually talks to the caller’s “senior officer,” who says his name is Jason Brown.
After talking to and questioning him for a few minutes, the caller hangs up on her.
“So folks, these are scam calls,” she says in the video. “Don’t ever give out your information, don’t ever verify information even if they have it. That information can be found on the web about anywhere so don’t verify it, don’t ever give them personal information.”
Scam calls like this have become a huge problem, with the average American already receiving more than 100 just this year, McClatchy reported.
Twelve large phone companies in the United States are working with the country’s attorneys general to to prevent these robocalls and help with enforcement, according to McClatchy.
“Robocalls are a scourge. At best, annoying. At worse, scamming people out of their hard-earned money,” North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said in a statement, according to McClatchy. “By signing on to these principles, industry leaders are taking new steps to keep your phone from ringing with unwanted calls.”
And Stephens has some advice for people targeted by these scammers.
“Just hang up on them or have a little fun,” she said in the video.
©2019 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)