Southern Utah Police Dispatch Scam Makes the Rounds

Authorities across Southern Utah are warning residents of scam callers posing as emergency dispatchers asking for personal information.

If you receive a call from 435-634-5730, there’s a high chance that it’s a scam, since local authorities have gone on record saying they would never call for collecting fines and collecting personal data.

It’s gotten bad enough that the St. George Police Department released a statement on their Facebook page summarizing the situation.

The SGPD statement said, “This mainly affects residents of Washington City, Laverkin, Springdale, Santa Clara/Ivins and those covered by Washington County Sheriff's Office. The non-emergency number for those areas has been spoofed.”

The statement then warns residents of the actual policies the police follow when making phone calls to residents.

The SGPD statement said, “If you receive a call from this number, remember law enforcement agencies will never call you and request you pay for fines or tickets over the phone. Never give your personal information, credit card information or other sensitive information over the phone unless you are sure of the person you are speaking to is legitimate.”

The SGPD Facebook page also shows other forms of scams making the rounds across Southern Utah, such as posts on Facebook asking for assistance with a loved one’s excessive medical debt.

When it comes to situations like these, the SGPD advised residents to verify the validity of the post before sharing it on social media. One way to do this is by conducting a reverse Google image search to find the source of the photo attached to the post.

If you ever have concerns that need to be addressed by the authorities, the number for the actual dispatch number is 435-627-4300.