Cookeville residents: beware.
A phone scam working the community over the last 24 hours as someone impersonates Cookeville Police. Captain Bobby Anderson said the caller claims to be Lieutenant James Harris while demanding money and threatening an arrest.
Anderson said if you get a call, contact Cookeville Police and verify the caller.
“They can call into the police department and actually ask to speak to the employee that was identified,” Anderson said. “In this case, they would be reaching out to James Harris who is actually a captain and not a Lieutenant at the police department. That verification would be getting James on the phone and him saying, ‘No, I am not calling you.'”
The phone number appears as the Cookeville Police Department on Caller I.D. Anderson said the police department will never make calls demanding for money. Anderson recommends hanging up the phone if you receive the call.
“Do not give up any personal information,” Anderson said. “Do not give any money. Hang up the phone. You can always call the police department to verify if that employee has actually called them. We are not going to demand any money from anyone.”
Anderson said this is not the first scam caller to spoof as police.
