Police: San Marcos seeing increase in scams, fraudulent calls

The San Marcos Police Department is warning the public about a recent increase in reports of attempted scam calls made to locals in and around San Marcos.

“Recently we have received calls from residents reporting they were contacted by a person or people claiming to represent a federal or Texas-based police agency and were told they must make payments via gift card to remove warrants,” said Interim Chief Bob Klett in a news release.

“These are fraudulent callers who are attempting to deceive and steal money from victims and the public needs to be cautious and aware of these scams,” Klett adds.

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SMPD reminds people that law enforcement agencies will never request payments through gift cards. People are cautioned against giving out personal information or payment to these callers.

To verify the validity of information requested by phone from suspected scammers claiming to represent a law enforcement agency, call the law enforcement agency in question.

Anyone who suspects they may be the victim of a scam can file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov or call the San Marcos Police Department at 512-753-2108. 

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