Bath Police Warn Residents About Bail Impersonation Scam Using Gift Cards

The Bath Police Department put residents on alert March 13 after telephone scammers posing as law enforcement officers began calling locals, claiming they had outstanding warrants and demanding immediate "bail" payments through gift cards, bitcoin, or other nontraditional methods. Bath police and area agencies have already seen recent attempts, some of them successful, with victims duped into sending money before realizing they had been deceived.

The scam follows a consistent script. A caller claims to be a local police officer, tells the person they have a warrant for their arrest, and insists they must pay bail money immediately. Bath police were direct in their guidance: payments for bail are made to bail commissioners or the court, never by gift cards or cryptocurrency.

The tactics are designed to short-circuit clear thinking. Scammers try to get victims to panic and make quick decisions based on emotion, not logic. They use tactics to control decisions and scare people into action, and can be very convincing, Bath police noted.

A similar scam has been targeting Maine residents beyond Sagadahoc County. In Biddeford, an unknown source has spoofed the Biddeford Police Department's main phone line, making calls appear on caller ID as if they originate from the department itself. The caller, described as an unknown male, identifies himself as a sergeant with the Biddeford Police Department and demands a substantial sum via gift cards, cashier's check, or bitcoin. Biddeford police said the caller has previously used the name of a real officer, Sgt. Philip Greenwood, though the name may change in future calls.

Biddeford Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk was unambiguous: "The Biddeford Police Department would never call you and demand cash payment to prevent your arrest."

Anyone who receives a call matching this description should take down the caller's information, hang up, and then call the official listed phone number for their police department to verify whether the call is legitimate. Verifying through an independently sourced number, rather than any callback number the caller provides, is the critical step that separates a scam from a genuine law enforcement contact.

For those who have already sent money, Bath police urged contacting local law enforcement immediately. The quicker police find out about a scam, the better the chances are of solving the crime and recovering assets.