NEW PALTZ — A Gardiner resident received a scam call on April 1 from an individual falsely claiming to be “Chief Matthew E. Sutton” of the “New Paltz South Police,” according to the New Paltz Police Department.
The male caller, who spoke with a foreign accent, told the resident he was investigating a Homeland Security report about purchases the resident had made.
The scammer used technology to make the call appear to come from the legitimate New Paltz Police Department phone number (845) 255-1323.
The resident recognized the call as fraudulent, disconnected, and reported the incident to authorities.
New Paltz Police advise residents who receive suspicious calls from individuals claiming to be police officers to hang up and directly contact the department at (845) 255-1323 to verify legitimacy.
The department is asking anyone who has received similar calls but has not yet reported them to contact police.
