Scammer uses police web site

The Waynesville Police Department became the victim of a bizarre scheme to get money and personal information from people in at least two states and South America.

Someone pretending to be an FBI agent cloned the police department’s Web site and used it, and pictures of fake FBI badges, as credentials in the scheme, Detective Ryan Singleton said.
He made the story public on Tuesday to warn people. Police have alerted federal authorities.
Police learned of the scheme on Sunday when would-be victims called to check on the strange directions they were getting in e-mails and telephone calls.

One woman, who lives in the eastern part of the state, said she was told she had a package from London waiting for her at the Waynesville Police Department. The caller told her the package contained money and that she had to pay $2,700 to get the package. Her sister, who happened to be a Wake County sheriff’s deputy, called the Waynesville Police Department to check the story.