Scam artists have been posing as police officers in Carroll and other metropolitan counties to try to get credit card information from businesses, officials said.
A Pizza Hut in South Carroll and another in Finksburg were called this week by a man who said he was a Carroll County sheriff?s deputy and needed the credit card account information and names for some customers, said Lt. Phil Kasten, spokesman for the Carroll County Sheriff?s Office.
The employees did not give out customer information, Kasten said.
“The call did not appear to be official,” Kasten said.
Officers would ask for credit card information only in person, if they needed it, Kasten said ? never over the phone.
Another caller posing as a Westminster police officer pulled the same routine on Rafael?s in Westminster, but employees there also refused to disclose the information, Kasten said.
“Everything we?ve seen locally appears similar and could very well be related,” Kasten said. “We?re following up on some very good leads.”
In addition, callers tried the same scam on at least four businesses in Aberdeen in August, police said.
Men called the restaurants as “Captain White” or “Detective White,” said they were close to ending a half-year investigation and needed the credit card information to finish it, said Sgt. Fred Budnick, spokesman for the Aberdeen Police Department.
The employees in those instances also refused to give the callers what they wanted, Budnick said.
Aberdeen never caught the impersonators there, and more suspicious calls were made to businesses in Annapolis, said Officer Jason Neidig, of the Aberdeen Police Department.
Examiner Staff Writer Matthew Santoni contributed to this report.
