Beware of phone scammers claiming to be law enforcement

Published 12:19 pm Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Authorities are warning the public about a phone scam making the rounds locally, involving a fraudulent call from a scammer claiming to be from the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO).

Sheriff’s officials said that the caller goes on to say that there is a warrant for the person’s arrest arrest for not showing up for jury duty, or nonpayment of back taxes. According to a statement from the KCSO, there have been “a large volume” of these calls and the office would like to remind residents that the sheriff’s office does not solicit for funds over the phone under any circumstances. Authorities will also never call in advance saying they are coming to arrest anyone.

“Criminals are able to use false or ‘spoofed’ numbers to make it appear that the call is coming from the sheriff’s office phone number, or from the courts,” KCSO officials said in a statement. “They will tell you to pay hundreds of dollars to avoid being arrested. They use high pressure tactics to get you panicked and are very professional sounding.”

If the scammers are able to get the caller to agree to pay what they are asking, they will tell him or her to purchase a cash card from a grocery store and call them back with the special pin number on the back of the card.

“Within seconds the funds will be transferred to their account,” KCSO officials said.

Sheriff’s officials are urging residents who receive this call to end the call immediately.

Citizens who have received this phone call can file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission at fcc.gov/complaints.