BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland State Police are warning residents to beware of a new telephone scam carried out by scammers pretending to be police officers.

According to the police, the scammers are able to fraudulently identify themselves using the names of real Maryland State troopers. The caller IDs can even be made to look like legitimate numbers from the police.

Police are reminding residents that they will never ask for money or financial information over the phone and advising that citizens should verify the identity of the callers before providing any personal information. Residents are asked to hang up the phone immediately, provide the caller’s name, rank, badge number, and work assignment, and then verify their identity by contacting a local police department or a Maryland State Police barrack.

Residents who provide personal information are urged to contact their financial institutions immediately to notify them. Complaints can also be filed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.