Hennepin Co. Sheriff Warns Of Phone Scheme Where Callers Impersonate Officers, Threaten Arrest Over Fake Fines
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to beware of a reported phone scheme where callers are impersonating the sheriff's office -- even Sheriff David Hutchinson himself -- and saying people will be arrested if they don't pay a fake fine.
The sheriff's office said in a release Thursday that it's received multiple reports concerning calls where scammers tell people that there is a warrant out for their arrest because they missed a court date and are in contempt.
The callers say that unless a fine is paid, the resident will be arrested. The scammers encourage residents to buy prepaid money transfer cards, like MoneyPak, call them back, and tell them the number on the card.
In some cases, the caller appears to be calling from a legitimate sheriff's office phone number. These numbers, however, can be faked to fool caller ID machines.
The sheriff's office says it would never contact people via phone or email to ask for any kind of payment. If someone receives such a call, they are advised not to provide any personal information and immediately contact law enforcement.