Scammers pretending to be police with arrest warrants, demanding money; hang up, BRPD says

Baton Rouge residents are getting phone calls from scammers pretending to be police officers with a warrant for the resident’s arrest and demanding money to pay fines, Baton Rouge Police said Tuesday.

“Hang up immediately and call BRPD,” the police department said in a fraud alert. 

“The Baton Rouge Police Department will never call the public and ask for money over the telephone, especially for warrants,” it said. 

BRPD said in the phone scam, the victim “recieves a call from a ‘389’ number, which shows up as a BRPD phone line. Sometimes the scammer gives the name of an actual BRPD officer.

“The caller tells the victim that they have a warrant for their arrest and they need to pay fines to take care of the warrant,” BRPD said. 

The department said to never send any money through CashApp, Venmo, Zelle or Bitcoin to the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Anyone who receives such a call should call BRPD at (225) 389-2000.