Full Notification

The Macungie Police Department had a few residents call about suspicious phone calls and possible scam attempts over the last few months. We would like to remind residents to be cautious when receiving any phone call where the caller requires or demands you to give your credit card number or pay some kind of fee to stop arrest orders.

Several residents in the area have reported that a person would call claiming a family member was involved in a motor vehicle accident and they needed money to ensure the safety of the family member involved. This type of call is designed to scare you into releasing credit card info or send cash. The callers are usually men with heavy foreign accents. The callers usually have a sense of urgency in their voice making their call seem more believable. They almost never seem to know details when asked such as, the name of the person involved in the accident, the location of the accident, the make and model of the car or other information that would readily identify the injured person as your family member. If they do specify a name of the family involved, immediately attempt to contact the family member or someone who knows where that family member might be.

Other scam attempts have been received from people claiming to be from the IRS and they demand you pay fees to avoid being arrested. Our agency received a few calls yesterday from residents who said the callers advised they were going to be sending the Macungie Police to arrest the resident if they did not comply with paying fees. The fact these scammers specifically referenced the Macungie Police Department shows what lengths the scammers will take to scare you into complying.

Be cautious and always ask questions before sending money or giving out personal information. Ask for a call back number and check the number with what was displayed on your caller ID if you have caller ID. As with all the scam types of calls I have received, the more questions you ask, the more angry the caller gets until they either hang up on you or begin to blast you with profane language. In either case it should be apparent at that point the call is a scam attempt.

If a caller says they are from Macungie Police and you question the validity you can always look the phone number up yourself and call our department. If you still are not convinced the call came from the police department you can always request the officer come to your home in person to discuss the incident or call.

If a resident has a question about this alert they can gladly call the Macungie Police Department at (610) 966-2222. We would be more than happy to address your questions.