Scammer posed as Mass. police chief, threatened prison time if caller hung up

A police department in Massachusetts is warning residents about an attempted scam involving the impersonation of a police chief.

A Lynn resident received a phone call Tuesday afternoon from a number that appeared falsely as “Police Lynn” with the department’s actual number, according to the Lynn Police Department.

The caller, who had a heavy female accent, identified herself as Chief Chris Reddy and knew the resident’s name, email address and home address.

During the call, the scammer asked whether the resident had recently traveled to Mexico, Panama or Colombia, and claimed that the resident may have bought a chemical being delivered to their home that would contain fentanyl or cocaine, police said.

The scammer told the resident that this was a common scam used by drug cartels.

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