News Release

PERU — Detectives from the Indiana State Police Peru District have recently received complaints about a potential scam to steal money that targets area restaurants.

The scam involves a restaurant receiving a telephone call. The caller tells the employee who answers that they are from a local law enforcement agency and conducting a counterfeit money investigation. The caller tells the employee that the restaurant possibly has counterfeit money. The employee is then instructed to gather all the restaurant’s money and meet the caller at a location away from the restaurant, purportedly to check for counterfeit money. Law enforcement officers will not call you and request you bring them money.

Scammers are constantly coming up with new tricks, police warn, and recently have been impersonating members of law enforcement. Sometimes scammers use software that shows the incoming call is from a police department. Their sole purpose is to attempt to steal from individuals and businesses.

If you happen to receive unsolicited phone calls similar in nature, police advise that you:

• Do not give in to the pressure to act.
• Do not engage in conversation with suspected scammers.
• Do not send or take money to a caller. Also, don’t wire money or pay a scammer with a prepaid debit card or gift card.
• Do not travel to any location the caller asks you to go.
• Hang up and call the police.