COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Colorado Springs Police Department is warning the public of a scam where someone impersonating an officer will pull over a vehicle.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, a victim was pulled over claiming the driver was speeding.
The driver was stopped on Feb. 8 at approximately 6 p.m. in the area of Falcon Highway and Highway 24 by a dark sedan with emergency lights on the dash.
The impersonator was a man in his late 40's to 50's, 6', with a heavy build, dark hair with gray streaks.
He also wore a dark button-up shirt, dark pants, tennis shoes and a name tag that said Smith.
When the victim offered to get their information from a relative, the impersonator went back to their car and left eastbound.
Police say the best thing to do if you doubt the authenticity of the stop is to contact the non-emergency number for the area law enforcement to confirm the legitimacy of the stop, while keeping their hands visible and explaining they are verifying the stop.
At the height of the pandemic, people impersonating police officers was a major concern.
"Anything that undermines that confidence that you're being pulled over by a police officer causes tremendous concern," said Sokolik.
Law enforcement agencies said impersonators were pulling people over for violating stay-at-home orders in April 2020.
"Knowing that somebody may be impersonating a police officer out there is very concerning to us," said Otero County Sheriff Shawn Mobley, "we're having to focus more of our time out there trying to find these people and find out what exactly they're doing."
Mobley also said that if you believe you're in danger, call 911. Dispatch will be able to confirm if there is a deputy or officer in the area making a traffic stop before getting out of the vehicle.
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