The DPD says they’ve had multiple instances of scammers impersonating law enforcement officers.
Update: Multiple Dallas residents have contacted us here at Advocate Magazine to let us know they, too, have been approached by individuals apparently posing as law enforcement officers. Some claimed they were from the Dallas Police Department, while some said they were from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. At least one man used the same name as the individual who called Kinsey Dulaney in the story below.
In some cases, the perpetrators asked for money to pay for a traffic tickets, fines for missing jury duty or other “urgent” issues. Sometimes, the women were skeptical enough to hang up before the caller made his request. A few callers, though, seemed to have other goals in mind. In at least one case, a man apparently showed up the woman’s home. He left after her husband called police.
Police say these scams should be reported immediately.
It was a warm Sunday morning like most others in June when Kinsey Dulaney pulled up to the red light at Northwest Highway and Jupiter Road. As she waited for the signal to turn green, a homeless man approached from the curb. Dulaney was unfazed at first. Then he began knocking on her window.
Dulaney had no cash to give him, and her car was blocked on all sides by other vehicles. The man became aggressive, shouting and cursing at her. “I know you want to see my (private parts),” he yelled.
“He looked me in the eye directly,” remembers Dulaney. “He started kicking my car and punching my window. Eventually he dropped his pants, exposed himself and rubbed his body on my car.”
Dulaney felt trapped, and the ticking seconds felt like hours as she waited for the light to change. Meanwhile, the man kept shouting.
“You don’t even know what I would do to you,” he hollered, staring her in the eye. “I would hurt you. I would strangle you. I would jump on you.”
Dulaney couldn’t tell if he was damaging her car door, and she wasn’t sure if her window glass was about to shatter.
“That’s when I was, like, what do I need to do? Please, lights, turn green. Please, Lord, just let my window hold up,” she prayed.
After the light finally changed and she drove to the safety of home and husband, Dulaney called the Dallas Police Department. The threat was no longer imminent, so she dialed the city’s 311 non-emergency line. They told her to call the northeast precinct house directly to make a report, so she did.
The next day, Dulaney received a call from a man who left a voice mail identifying himself as Sgt. Darrell Watson, badge number 7011B. He said he wanted to follow up regarding her report. She called him back, and his outgoing message said he was Sgt. Darrell Watson, badge 7011B, which put her at ease. After a little phone tag they connected, and he began asking for details. Dulaney became suspicious, though, when he referenced her former address and used her maiden name — she married ten years ago and did not use it when filing the police report. He had the date of the altercation wrong, and when she corrected him, he asked why she was so prickly about speaking to law enforcement. He did know the name and address of her current employer, however, and she’d only been there for three weeks.
“He threatened to show up at my place of work and arrest me,” she says. “He started yelling and berating me. That’s when I said I was going to hang up and call the police station to confirm his badge number.”
Officers at the station told her the caller was working a scam designed to coax her into paying a fine — although she hung up before he made that demand. They said, ‘Oh ma’am, we’ve had numerous calls about that scam just this morning.’”
“They told me police records are public. There’s really nothing you can do. To be honest, it never really felt urgent to them. My concern is that he had so much information about me — especially about my new employer.”
One aspect of the conversation which still haunts Dulaney is the caller’s final request.
“I need you to give me your current address,” he demanded angrily. That’s when she hung up and dialed police. She’s been sharing her experience with other young moms ever since to encourage women to use caution.
“I hate that I’m left with so many fears and worries. I don’t have enough answers. What were his motivations? Last night, the wind blew our gate open, and I sent my husband outside to check it out. I don’t want to be fearful every day and night.”
Corbin Rubinson, a senior public information officer with the Dallas Police, wouldn’t say if his department actually has a Sgt. Darrell Watson, but a simple Google search indicates a man by that name has more than 45 years’ experience as a sergeant in the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. Rubinson directed me to a February blog post in which DPD officials warn residents to beware of scammers impersonating legitimate law enforcement officers and using scare tactics to intimidate citizens.
“Government agencies, including law enforcement, will never contact you by phone, email, or social media to demand money,” officials wrote on DPD beat. “Scammers may spoof official phone numbers, including City of Dallas and Dallas PD numbers, demanding you send money immediately. Criminals may use personal information or threaten to arrest you as scare tactics. These are serious crimes — if you’re in the City of Dallas and receive a phone call, text, or message online from someone claiming to be a government employee and demanding money, notify the Dallas Police Financial Crimes Unit at 214-671-3543. If you are being harassed by aggressive, frequent calls, immediately call 9-1-1 and report it.”
