The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public again of a scam in the region.
According to a news release, this week a citizen came to the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office to report fraud. The victim was contacted by phone by a man that claimed to be a Lt. Brandon Scott with the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office. That person does not exist. The man told the victim they missed a court date for Jury duty. The male also told the victim that there was a Marshal’s warrant for them and that they needed to take care of it or go to jail.
The caller was able to convince the victim to withdraw one thousand dollars from their account, then had the victim go to Rosauers to purchase Cryptocurrency through the CoinMe kiosk. According to the release, the caller had a southern accent and called the victim using the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office number.
The Sheriff’s Office is reminding the public not to fall for these types of scams. No Law Enforcement entity will ever call you and ask for money over the phone. There is also no way, other than arrest, court appearance or a Judge’s ruling, for a warrant to be dismissed. Scammers can clone phone numbers, so it will appear victims are receiving a call from a law enforcement entity, when it is actually just a scammer. DO NOT give any personal information out over the phone unless you are absolutely sure of who you are talking to. If someone calls you telling you that you have a warrant, it’s a scam! Hang up!
It’s at least the second incident in recent weeks the sheriff’s office has been notified of this type of scam.
