Lexington police warn of phone scam involving man claiming to be an officer

A man claiming to be a Lexington police sergeant caught the attention of actual Lexington officers Monday.

The two people reported to police that the man, who identified himself as Sgt. Christopher Wallace, called them saying a relative had been involved in a crash and that they would need to send money, Lexington police said.

Lexington detectives with the financial crimes unit spoke with the caller over the phone and learned that the man told one of the victims that their daughter had been in a wreck on Interstate 64, police said.

The man also said the victim’s daughter had been talking on her phone at the time of the crash and that she would be charged with reckless endangerment unless a $1,400 fine was paid in 20 minutes, police said. The man, who called from an 866 area code, said to use a local bank branch to transfer money to a district attorney.

While on the phone with the man, detectives were told to call back when they were at the bank with the money, police said.

When the detectives called back, they were told that one of the people involved in the crash had died and that the criminal charge was going to be changed to involuntary manslaughter, police said. Because of this, the caller said the money would need to be transferred through Western Union to an attorney in New York.

The man also told the victims that their daughter couldn’t talk on the phone because she’d received stitches in her mouth and was unable to speak, police said.

Neither victim transferred money to the man, police said. The investigation is open.

Lexington police said they will never contact anyone by telephone and ask that money be sent through a third-party money processor. Anyone who receives such a call should hang up and not provide any personal information.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Lexington police warn of phone scam involving man claiming to be an officer."