Chico Police have become aware of a possible scam in which the suspect is claiming to be a Chico Police official.
Since yesterday, police have received three inquiries from citizens asking if there is a Lt. Mike O’Brien employed at Chico PD. It appears that someone is calling senior citizens by telephone and claiming to be Lt. Mike O’Brien. During the call, the suspect claims that the citizen will be receiving a cash award from Publisher’s Clearinghouse and that Lt. O’Brien would be facilitating the payment. Police are not yet aware of any citizens having paid out any money during the attempted scam.
Thieves never stop trying to come up with new scams or twists on old scams. The Chico Police Department, and especially our Lt. O’Brien, would like to remind the public that citizens should never provide any personal information over the phone and should be alert for unsolicited calls claiming that they have “won.” The Chico Police Department is not, and likely will never be, in the business of facilitating Publisher’s Clearinghouse award distributions.
-from press release
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