Texarkana's Wildest Radio Station!
Texarkana's Wildest Radio Station!
July 14, 2026
TEXARKANA, Ark. — The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department is warning residents about a phone scam circulating in the area, in which callers claim to be police officers and threaten arrest unless money is sent immediately.
According to TAPD, individuals in the community have been receiving the calls, with the scammer identifying as an officer and demanding immediate payment to avoid jail.
Police stress that no legitimate officer will ever call and demand payment to avoid arrest. Anyone who receives such a call should hang up immediately and never provide money or personal information.
It's a familiar playbook — and not the department's first warning. Last September, TAPD alerted the community that scammers were impersonating Chief Ed Chattaway himself through phone calls, texts, and social media messages, pressuring people for money and personal information. Texarkana Texas Police have fielded similar reports in recent years, including a caller posing as a real TTPD sergeant who told victims they had outstanding warrants and demanded payment — often by wire transfer or gift cards — to avoid arrest.
Consumer protection officials say the tells are always the same: pressure to act immediately, threats of arrest, and demands for payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or payment apps — methods no real agency uses. To verify any call, hang up and contact the department directly using a phone number you look up yourself, never one the caller provides. Scam calls can also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
TAPD is asking residents to spread the word, particularly to older family members and neighbors, who are frequent targets of these calls.