Crime & Safety
Man Told to Pay Money or FBI Would Arrest Him
An excerpt from the WPD police log. The following arrest information was supplied by the Woburn Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.
Featured Incident
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, police were called to East Dexter Ave. for a report of fraud. The officer was told that someone tried to get a man's credit card number today over the phone.
According to the caller, he had a message on his answering machine claiming to be from the United States government. In the message, a man said that he was Daniel Smith from the Criminal Investigations Unit and he left a telephone number saying the man needed him to call back immediately.
When the resident called back, the man on the other end of the line told him that it was the government and he owed $4,400. If he did not pay it, there would be severe legal consequences, according to the person.
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The Woburn resident asked where he should send the check to, and the man responded that he must pay immediately via credit card or the FBI would be at his house in 15 minutes to arrest him.
The man believed this was a hoax, so he began to record the conversation and told his son to call the police. The man on the other end hung up.
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Police advised the man that it was a hoax and someone was trying to obtain his credit card information for fraudulent purposes. He was advised to report any further suspicious activity.
Officers called the number they had been given, but no one answered.
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