Man posing as Chelsea police detective offering prizes over the phone
A man with a thick foreign accent is calling area residents and falsely representing himself as a detective with the Chelsea Police Department, telling people there is a prize waiting for them at the city's UPS store.
The Chelsea police sent out an alert to residents Tuesday morning to report the scam. According to police, the man has told at least one person that they had won a prize and could claim it at the Chelsea UPS store, 1163 South Main St.
Dispatcher Dan Whitesall said police don’t know what the man is trying to get out of the scam, but police are definitely not the ones calling.
“It’s a scam, we don’t call around soliciting and giving out prizes,” Whitesall said.
Whitesall said there’s only been one report involving the Chelsea police, and the man who called did not give a specific officer’s name from the department. He said the man’s accent was so thick that the caller couldn’t understand much of what he was saying, other than portions involving the Chelsea Police Department, UPS store and a prize.
The department does not solicit residents via phone calls and does not offer prizes, according to police. Area residents who receive a call like this are encouraged to tell the caller they are not interested and hang up the phone.
If the man continues to call, residents are advised to contact the local police department and report the incident.
Anyone looking for more information about this scam is encouraged to call the Chelsea Police Department at 734-475-9122.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Chris 8 - YPSI PRIDE
Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 12:21 a.m.
"Whitesall said there's only been "one" report involving the Chelsea police, and the man who called did not give a specific officer's name from the department." One is the lonliest number that you will ever hear....................
Forever27
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.
i wonder if the culprit is wearing a terrible bill cosby sweater and calls himself "Peggy"
Joe_Citizen
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 6:03 p.m.
This could be an attempt to get someone out of their homes for they can be robed. They call and tell someone that they have a package waiting and then when they go to get it, the their home get broken into. This way the thieves have a good idea how long the victims will be gone.
tinkerbell
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 4:01 a.m.
Houses aren't robbed. The correct term is Burglary or Home Invasion. A Robbery is a direct threat to someone for their cash, with or without a gun.
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
Sorry I didn't see it, but yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.
didn't i say that already?
justcurious
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 7:08 p.m.
Sounds feasible.
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 6 p.m.
...so someone should pose as a phone call recipient and go pick it up? i don't understand what the guy's gain is, unless he's waiting outside the houses he calls. (he knows the person he's calling) and is waiting for them to leave? so obviously the chelsea ups store isn't "in" on it.
omniskeptic
Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 1:17 p.m.
That is usually the point of these things, right. He may not "know" the party, but he knows where they live and has some clue that their house would be worth breaking into.
quetzalcoatl
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:42 p.m.
This is even better than Publisher's Clearing House! Will Ed McMahon be waiting at the UPS store?
smokeblwr
Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:21 p.m.
So even the criminals are outsourcing their dirty work?