Maine Residents Warned About Scammers Impersonating Police Officers

It seems like every other day we are hearing about another scam.

It was only a few years ago that these scams were mostly being conducted through emails, pop-up ads coming through your web browser, and the occasional call from a person pretending to be from a non-profit or business.

These days, scammers are a lot more clever and, in many cases, a lot more scary.

According to a press release from the Maine Department of Public Safety's Shannon Moss, the Maine Information and Analysis Center is alerting Maine residents to a series of scams where the scammers are impersonating law enforcement officers.

Since 2024, the Maine Information Analysis Center (MIAC) has been tracking a growing number of these impersonation scams—most recently in July 2025, when even the Maine State Police were looped in.

Here’s how it usually goes: Someone calls you claiming to be law enforcement—sometimes even dropping real names and ranks from places like the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office or Maine State Police. They’ll say you missed a court date, have unpaid fines, or some other urgent legal issue. Then comes the demand for money, right now, or they’ll send someone to arrest you.

These demands are 100% fake but, because people are caught off guard, many fall for the scam.

 Lt. Matt Casavant, director of the Maine Information Analysis Center, is quoted as saying:

These types of scams are dangerous and deceptive. We want the public to know that law enforcement will never contact someone by phone to demand payment or threaten arrest over unpaid fines.

If you believe you have been contacted by scammers pretending to be law enforcement officers, you should call 207.624.7280 or email miac.msp@maine.gov