McAllen Police Warn of Holiday Scams
The department urges residents to guard against scams as the 2026 holiday season approaches.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Financial Crime
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The McAllen Police Department reminded residents to guard against holiday scams, noting that scammers often operate from outside the United States. The City of McAllen also created printable scam awareness flyers for local businesses.
Why it matters
Scammers target residents during the holiday season, relying on high-pressure tactics, fear, or a false sense of urgency to steal personal information. Local awareness helps residents in McAllen recognize these deceptive approaches.
City personnel will not call residents to inquire about sensitive personal matters or request Personal Identification Data, which is information that can identify an individual. The source does not provide local scam incident counts or dollar losses for McAllen.
The players
McAllen Police Department
The municipal police agency serving McAllen, Texas, responsible for public safety and crime prevention in the city.
Federal Trade Commission
The federal agency that protects consumers from fraud and deceptive practices and accepts fraud reports through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The details
Police warned that scammers use deceptive tactics to target individuals and steal personal information, often operating from outside the United States. The Office of Communications created printable scam awareness flyers for local business owners and managers to help them spot and respond to scams.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: The Police Department and city issued the scam awareness warning.
2026 holiday season: Police warning issued as the season approaches.
Legal Context
Residents can report unwanted calls through the National Do Not Call Registry, a federal tool administered by the Federal Trade Commission. The FCC Scam Glossary also documents specific robocall scam types for public reference.
Residents should not share Personal Identification Data with callers claiming to be city personnel, since city staff will not request it by phone. Suspected scams can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The takeaway
Hang up on unexpected callers asking for personal details, and verify any request independently before responding. Printable awareness flyers from the city can help businesses train staff to spot these tactics.
Further reading
Explore more financial crime coverage to see how scams like these are tracked and prosecuted.
More information
Report suspected fraud through the FTC fraud reporting portal.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Texas Border Business.
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