Bonneville County Sheriff warns about scammers posing as deputies
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Offices is warning people about a phone call scam where the scammers are impersonating deputies with the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office says they have received several reports of the calls from people in the area. The unknown caller stated there was a warrant for the person’s arrest for Failure to Appear for Jury Duty or some other court event and the only way to take care of it was to obtain a money voucher or card from a store, or send cash somewhere. In one instance the suspect wanted to meet with the people outside of the Sheriff’s Office.
The scammer used a number with an Idaho area code, possibly a random voice over internet number, and also had a poorly recorded voicemail indicating they were the “Bonneville County Sheriff’s Department”. After the sheriff’s office attempted to identify the suspects, the number was disconnected.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s office wants to remind the public that neither Law Enforcement or the Courts solicit cash or money vouchers over the phone, or request anyone to go to a business and obtain a money order, money card, or cashier’s check, in order to take care of warrants or court proceedings.
Court events and service of paperwork typically require in person appearance at the court or direct in person contact with a police officer. The sheriff’s office warns people to be wary of these types of calls and feel free to contact your local law enforcement or dispatch to verify if an officer is actually attempting to contact you.
If you did lose money or property due to a suspicious call or internet scam please call and make a police report. You can also report suspected phone and internet scams to the FBI online at www.ic3.gov.
