The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about a rise in a “convincing and dangerous” phone scam in which callers are impersonating law enforcement officers.
Caller claims to be deputy with sheriff’s office
Authorities say they’ve received “multiple calls daily” in which someone has been contacted by a person saying they are a deputy with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department. That person then says there’s a warrant for the individual’s arrest, claiming that they’ve either missed a court appearance or jury duty.
The caller then requests money, ranging into thousands of dollars, to “quash” the warrant, officials said in a news release.
Sometimes the caller leaves a voicemail with a number to call. Authorities say the scammer has set up a recorded message on that callback line claiming that the caller has reached the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, and gives the option to hit prompts to talk to a “deputy.”
The sheriff’s office noted that it will never call anyone to say they have a warrant, nor will they ask for payment to avoid arrest, or take any payment over the phone for any legal matters.
How to protect yourself from the scam
Officials say if you receive such a call you should hang up immediately and refrain from giving any personal or financial information. The scam call should then be reported to local police.
Those in unincorporated DuPage County can call the sheriff’s office at 630-407-2400.
Authorities are also asking the public to spread the word about the scam, to help raise awareness.
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