False 911 calls explained

A recent accidental phone call to 9-1-1 has led Evangeline Parish 9-1-1 Director Liz Hill to share how accidental calls could be placed.
The accidental call was reported on Thursday, June 21, 2018, and was placed from the office of Ville Platte bondsman James Bertrand.
When a call is placed to 9-1-1, the emergency system will always call you back even if no one is on the other line in case there is an emergency.
When the call was placed from Bertrand’s office on Magnolia Street, 9-1-1 returned the call, but Bertrand did not answer. This led to Ville Platte Police, Acadian Ambulance and other first responders to show up at Bertrand’s office saying he called 9-1-1.
According to KLFY, Bertrand believed that the call was a scam.
However, in an interview with KLFY, Hill explained that if you have any electronic devices then it is very possible that an accidental call to 9-1-1 can be placed.
The 9-1-1 Director said, “We appreciate Mr. James Bertrand letting the public know that he thought it was a scam but in reality, something in his office could have very well called 9-1-1. If he has electronics such as a fax machine, a modem, and even his regular landline phone could accidentally call 9-1-1.”
According to Hill, when 9-1-1 receives a call, her office will always call back even if there is no one on the other line.
Hill said, “When we get that call, if there’s nobody on the other end, we do call back to check and the dispatcher said she did.” Hill then explained, “If there was no answer, because I believe he was just getting into the office at that time, then yes we would send an officer out there to make sure that there is nothing going on.”
Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Dispatcher Monica Reed also shed light on how accidental 9-1-1 calls can be placed.
Reed shared that the sheriff’s office receives a call daily and always at the same time from an individual’s modem. The call is always placed some time around 12:00 a.m.
The EPSO Dispatcher said, “Your modem for your Internet dials out numbers to connect. There is an individual in Evangeline Parish whose modem has the number 9-1-1 in it, so for some reason it triggers it to call 9-1-1.”
Reed went on to state that this is very common in telecommunication work.
Hill also offered tips for the public to be able to tell the difference between a scam and an a real call back from 9-1-1.
Hill said, “If you were to get a phone call on your cell phone and it displays 9-1-1, more than likely than yes that is a scam because our phone calls when we call back are 363 local numbers here in Evangeline Parish and Ville Platte.”
Hills also added that 9-1-1 will know your location and name, but they will not ask you who is in the house or if you have any money.
If those questions are asked, then Hill said that could be a scam.