The Santa Cruz Police Department has been alerted to a new phone scam being perpetrated on parents of UCSC students. Parents of UCSC students have received phone calls where the caller indicates their student has active warrants and owes money for the warrants. The caller has tried to collect money for the bogus warrants.
The caller ID on the on the incoming call has been programmed to indicate the business line 
phone number for the Santa Cruz Police Department (831) 420-5800.
These calls are not coming from the Santa Cruz Police Department. The police department does not accept payment for warrant bail amounts. All warrant bails are paid through the Court Clerk’s office and not the police department. Additionally, the police department and the Sheriff’s Office do not make phone calls soliciting money for warrant bails.
The police department cautions against making payments or revealing personal information over the phone or online to anyone you do not know.
If anyone has received such a call, please contact our dispatch center to file a report (831) 471-1131, or file an online report via our Website www.santacruzpolice.com. If you have doubts about the authenticity of a call initiated from the police department, you can always hang up and call us at our dispatch center or business line to verify.
Historically in phone scams, callers have bullied the victim becoming aggressive and threatening. If you receive a call where the caller bullies or threatens, simply hang up and call 9-1-1.