Law enforcement personnel have learned that someone is attempting to commit a fraud under the name of a Las Cruces police officer.
On at least two occasions, a caller identified himself as “Detective Michael Henke” from the Las Cruces Police Department and mentioned that he was calling from the “Civil Department”. Although LCPD has a supervisor with this name, he does not make these calls and LCPD does not have a “civil department”.
Those who reported receiving such calls told police that the caller suggested that there be a “state quote” in their name and that can be resolved somehow over the phone.
Police learned that the calls on the Caller ID were from a “575” phone number or from a small town in New Mexico. At least one call appears to be from Cimarron, NM. It is very likely that the fictional calls came from a phone number or location that does not match what is shown on the Caller ID.
More and more often, scammers are trying to take advantage of unsuspecting victims in every possible way. If you receive an unwanted call from a stranger or a robocall, it is likely a scam attempt.
Las Cruces police recommend following these safety tips:
- Do not give personal or financial information to people who call you, text you or otherwise contact you.
- Do not engage in conversations with uninvited callers.
- Don’t press numbers when prompted to choose from a menu.
- Block unwanted or repetitive spam phone numbers on your mobile phone.
- Consider registering your phone number (s) with the Federal Trade Commission’s free Do Not Call Registry. Go to DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone you want to register.
Anyone who has been the victim of a suspected fraud call is encouraged to call the police at (575) 526-0795.
Information from the Las Cruces Police Department
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