Recently, the Colorado State Patrol has been made aware of a phone scam taking place in the El-Paso County area in which victims will be called by someone claiming to be a State Trooper who directs them to send them funds or face lawsuits, criminal prosecution, arrest, or incarceration.

At times these callers can be very convincing by giving the victim their badge number, asking the victim to call another (fictitious) Trooper at another number, referencing other law enforcement agencies, and referring the victim to other legitimate web-sites (such as the financial crimes enforcement network) to lend credibility to their claims. In most instances the callers become very aggressive in these claims and demands in an attempt to intimidate their victims into complying with their orders.

Members of the public should understand that the Colorado State Patrol does not engage in debt collection practices or investigations that would lead to the direct solicitation of funds.

If you receive a call like this, please call the Colorado Springs office of the Colorado State Patrol at 719-635-0385 to verify that the person calling is in fact a Colorado State Trooper or other law enforcement officer.