Scammers are targeting the families of college athletes [Video]

HARTFORD, Conn. — Scammers are telling the families of Connecticut college athletes that they must make immediate payments to get their children out of trouble.

The state’s Department of Consumer Protection and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection have issued a warning, as police departments at state universities investigate incidents where scammers call parents, identifying themselves as members of the university’s police department.

The caller claims that the student athlete has received citations for open container, curfew violations and/or trespassing and that the parents must make online payments in the form of CashApp, Venmo or JPay.

The DCP and the DESPP have made it clear that a police department or campus safety program will never contact a parent or guardian and attempt to solicit payment for citations.

“This is a classic scam, targeting individuals and their families, whose information …