Indiana Police Chief Toys with Phone Scammer
DANVILLE, Ind., June 12 (UPI) — An Indiana police department shared video of its chief having some fun with a phone scammer who took a few minutes to realize he was being played.
Danville Police Chief Bill Wright said he was in the car with his wife when he got a call from an unknown number saying he had “been selected by the federal government to receive a grant of $7,000.”
Wright filmed his conversation with the scammer and it was shared on YouTube and the police department’s Facebook page.
“The government checked all your accounts and you have been a low taxpayer so this is like a tax refund which you never, ever have to pay back in your whole life,” the caller says, while Wright’s wife struggles not to laugh.
Wright later said he recognized the call as a scam right away and decided to play along, often screaming in mock joy and shouting “I won!”
The caller tells Wright to take down a number and visit the nearest Western Union, where a supervisor would supposedly help him claim his cash.
The scammer realizes he’s being played about three minutes into the conversation.
“You can stick that $7,000 up your [expletive], okay?” the scammer says.
Wright said he saw the situation as an opportunity to raise awareness of phone scams in his community.
“It was done as much to let people know what’s going on as much as we did it for fun. … They absolutely picked the wrong person,” Wright told WXIN-TV.
