Scammers calling and posing as law enforcement officers
by Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office
January 4, 2018
Swindlers are once again calling people in Sweetwater County, falsely identifying themselves as law enforcement officers, and threatening arrest for supposedly evading jury duty.
As is usually the case, the scam callers claim to be deputy sheriffs or police officers and threaten their intended victims with arrest for allegedly evading jury duty unless they purchase e-vouchers or reloadable debit cards to "pay penalties." (One caller identifies himself as "Sergeant Sullivan;" the SCSO has no "Sergeant Sullivan.) Such scammers often use a technique called "masking" to make it appear as if they are calling from within Wyoming when in fact they are at the other end of the country or even overseas.
Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell pointed out that no agency of the criminal justice system is going to call to demand money or payment for fines, missed jury duty, overdue traffic tickets, etc. If you receive a call like this, make a note of the agency or department that the caller claims to be with and also note the number that appears on your caller ID, if any.
Next, hang up, then follow up, using the information you've noted. Check with the organization the caller claimed to be with. And most important of all, NEVER provide such a caller with any personal or financial information.
For more information on this and many other fraud schemes, law enforcement officials recommend the FBI website at http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud
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