According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, phone scammers are using the actual names of at least one sheriff’s office employee, as well as that of a local judge, in an attempt to sell residents bogus “vouchers” to avoid arrest.
Authorities said the scam involves con artists who call residents and use the real name of a sheriff’s employee to introduce themselves and warn the targeted resident that there is a warrant for their arrest issued by a local judge.
The callers use the real name of a Lake County Circuit Court judge as the person who signed the warrant, according to sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli, and tell residents if they submit a payment in the form of a gift card, they will receive a voucher clearing them of the false arrest warrant.
“Anytime somebody calls reaching out to you to request payment by gift card or requesting personal information, it’s very likely a scam,” sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Friday morning.
Covelli said both the sheriff’s office and circuit court officials are aware of the issue, and that neither entity calls residents and requests money. Lake County government office will also not ask for or accept payment in the form of gift cards or “Green Dot” cards.
Most of the time, the scammers are operating out of other states or countries, officials said.
The sheriff’s office recommends that the best course of action for a scam target is to hang up, and if utilizing a cellphone, block the caller’s telephone number from future contact.
Those who have doubts about someone calling and claiming to be a local official can always hang up and call back utilizing the known telephone number for the government office that reportedly contacted you, Covelli said.
According to the sheriff’s office, anyone confronted with a call they did not initiate should never provide the caller with personal information, and should never give the caller their location or address.
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It is recommended that residents document the phone number of suspected callers, along with any information about the call, and report the incident to local police as soon as possible.