How to Spot Police Impersonation Scams

Police impersonation scams are often well-crafted and extremely dangerous plots to commit crimes under the shield of a fake police badge. People who impersonate a police officer not only commit a serious crime but also subvert people's trust in other, genuine police officers. For these reasons it's important to be able to quickly spot a police impersonation scam, so follow these steps to learn how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Look for generally suspicious behavior. Real police officers are trained to follow a strict set of regulations and protocol in every situation. A police impersonation scam will often involve impersonators making unusual requests or behaving in strange ways. Look for any kind of unusual behavior on the part of the alleged officer to spot a police impersonation scam.
2. Question the police officer. It may go against your nature or what you believe to be the correct way to interact with the police, but sometimes asking questions is the best way to spot a police impersonation scam. Ask questions about where the officer works, who his or her duty sergeant is and if you can see their police identification.
3. Look for police insignia and proper decals. Most police impersonation scams use very rough approximations of police equipment and uniforms. Check out the police vehicle that the potential impersonator arrives in. The car should have local police decals, numbering and license plates that indicate that the car is a police car. Also, lights on the car should be built in, not removable. And the officer's uniform should be county, city or state-specific and not generic looking.
4. Trust your instincts. Trusting your instincts about a potential police impersonation scam will help you to spot a scam. If you get a feeling that something is wrong with the situation don't brush it aside. Instead, slow the process down and ask yourself what seems out of place.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are a woman driving alone after dark in a deserted area, and you are pulled over by a police vehicle that strikes you as suspicious, keep your car locked and windows rolled up and ask the officer to follow you to a lighted, more populated area. Or use your cell phone to call 911 to verify that you are not the victim of police impersonation.