FMPD warns of scammer targeting dating site users
The Fort Myers Police Department has issued a scam alert warning to users of an on-line dating site.
The department has received three complaints from individuals using the “Plenty of Fish” dating site. Each reported that they were contacted by the “Fort Myers Police Department” – with the actual police department number showing up on their caller ID – and asked for money to prevent an arrest.
“The scam entails a customer being contacted through Plenty of Fish by another member with “Interest” to meet and exchange phone numbers,” the FMPD said in a release issued Wednesday. “Once the customer provides their phone number, they are called ‘by the police’ who indicate they have actually been conversing illegally with an underage person and need to pay money to have the charges dropped.
“The police department wants to remind citizens that at no time will the police department solicit funds to ‘drop charges’ and that all criminal investigations will be handled by official personnel.”
If citizens are in doubt about who is calling them, they should request the name of the person with whom they are speaking; hang up and call the police department directly at (239-321-7700), the agency states. Concerned callers should then request to be connected with the person they were speaking with, FMPD advises, adding that residents “should never provide any personal information, banking information over the phone or e-mail, especially from a non-solicited source.”
Source: FMPD