We Will NOT Call & Demand Money for Warrants/Fines - EVER
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is again beginning to receive reports of scammers trying to lie, intimidate, trick, and threaten people into giving up their hard-earned money or personal information, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft.
Law Enforcement, Courts, or any other government agency will never call you and demand prepaid credit cards for payment while threatening arrest if you don’t. However, scammers will, so don’t be fooled.
Recently, these criminals have fraudulently claimed to be “Detective Chris Thompson” and “Deputy Wayne Farley”. The scammers left a voicemail asking the potential victim to call them back and provided a phone number with a (509) area code. In a different incident, they either “spoofed” a Sheriff’s Office phone number on the potential victim’s caller ID or provided the number during the call to try and add legitimately to their deception.
(Spoofing: is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.)
The scammers threaten and intimidate, with the goal of convincing victims to purchase prepaid credit cards to pay a “fine” and avoid a warrant being issued for their arrest. They may also demand personal identification numbers or banking information, which opens a potential victim to identity theft or having their bank accounts drained.
This is a Scam!! Don’t Fall for It! Don’t LOSE your money!
People who receive calls from scammers can report the information to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-2 or Crime Check at 509-456-2233.
The FTC website has additional information, tips, and different scamming alerts.