Missouri State Highway Patrol warns of telephone scam

SIKESTON — The Missouri State Highway Patrol reminds the public to be aware of a telephone scam.

“In the past month, some incidents have been reported across the state,” Sgt. Bradley R. Germann with the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control said in a news release Wednesday, Oct. 2. “In each case, a suspect contacted an individual associated with someone who was involved in a motor-vehicle crash, identified themselves as the investigating trooper and attempted to solicit money from the victim. The suspect may intimidate the victim with false claims of impending or nonexistent court charges/proceedings.”

The public should understand Patrol employees will not contact individuals and solicit funds or demand any form of payment, Germann said. Furthermore, the Patrol employees do not process bonds or accept money to prevent or dispose of charges, he said.

“If a person asks you to send your money anywhere, you should assume it’s a scam,” Germann said. “Take your time verifying the information by calling phone numbers you locate yourself on verified websites. You should not confirm any identifying information about yourself to the scammer.”

If an individual or someone they know have been contacted in a similar manner, they should report the incident to their local Troop Headquarters, Germann said.