Officials warn of scam spoofing Nassau police department telephone numbers

Fraudsters are using Nassau County police telephone numbers and posing as department employees to solicit payments through wire transfer and other methods, police said Friday.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder urges anyone who receives telephone solicitations or emails from people who identify themselves as police officers or employees of the department to hang up.

“The Nassau County Police Department does not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a prepaid debit card or wire transfer,” police said in a statement.

Last week, Suffolk County officials warned the public about a similar phone scam in which fraudsters' calls display a caller ID that resembles a legitimate source, which police said can lead some people to fall victim to a scammer.

On March 8, Nassau County police announced the arrest of two people who they said convinced a Plainview man that he had won $5.7 million from the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. But the man, 79, ended up losing more than $147,000, police said.

These scams, officials said, often target senior citizens.