Sheriffs across the country are warning of an increase in scam calls claiming to be from law enforcement during the holiday season.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Clerk of Courts Pavan Parikh have both issued alerts in recent weeks regarding calls impersonating their offices.
They say these calls claim you missed jury duty or another court appearance and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest.
Scammers do their homework, even target doctors
Dr. Beatriz Porras nearly became a victim, withdrawing thousands of dollars in cash to pay what she believed to be a court fine.
Porras, a dermatologist from Montgomery, recently received a threatening voicemail on her phone.
“My name is Deputy Reiger.” “I am here with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department,” the caller stated.
A man, purporting to be a sheriff’s deputy, asserted that she had missed her court appearance as an expert witness in a case, thereby committing contempt of court.
She dialed the number again, and her world abruptly stopped.
“They knew my social security number, they knew that I’m a doctor, they knew addresses, and they knew my date of birth,” she told me.
She was terrified because everything sounded so real.
“They had a warrant out for my arrest,” she told me, “and they were coming to apprehend me.”
To avoid arrest, the man informed her, “I had to pay a bond of $15,000.”
He then told her to drive to her bank and withdraw $15,000 in cash, making sure to keep the call active the entire time so he could listen in on her conversation with the teller and ensure she did not raise any suspicions.
Porras said she told the teller that she was remodelling her kitchen and that the contractor wanted cash.
The caller then instructed her to deposit the funds into an ATM using an account he would provide.
Minutes away from losing $15,000
She almost did it, but then became suspicious and decided to stop at the Sycamore Township Police Department first.
An officer there, she claims, grabbed her phone and confronted the caller.
“He asked ‘What is your badge number?'” “That’s when the other guy hung up,” Porras explained.
It was over in minutes, as she handed over $15,000 to a scammer.
“Thank God, you know, I didn’t lose that money, but they tortured me for three hours,” she told me.
So, if you receive a threatening call from a sheriff’s department saying something like “you missed your civic duty this morning,” be aware that someone is most likely attempting to scam you.
That way, you won’t waste your money.
