Scam targets registered sex offenders

A new scam is targeting registered sex offenders in at least one Idaho county and six Florida counties.

Idaho State Police said its Idaho Central Sex Offender Registry has been notified of several attempted scams.

One scam involves a caller posing as a law enforcement officer. He tells the sex offender they have missing or out-of-date registration information. He tells the offender that to avoid arrest he must bring a gift or money-card to a specified location, other than the registration office.

The caller may provide a call-back number with a voice-mail message that sounds as if it might belong to the local law enforcement agency’s registration office.

Another scam tells the caller they are with the sheriff’s office and have a warrant. The scammer says the only way to take of it without being arrested is to go to the store and get a money card and give them the card number over the phone.

Anyone receiving a suspicious call should not follow the instruction and should immediately report it to the local sheriff’s office.