Everything you need to know if you receive a suspicious call, text or email.
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(Dearborn County, Ind.) – The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office is warning area residents of current scams going on in the county.
Scammers are pretending to be law enforcement officers, jail staff or bondsmen and contacting victims by phone, text or email.
The scammers usually claim that a family member or loved one is in jail, or that there is an urgent problem such as missed court, contraband or bond issue.
Victims are being told that immediate payment is required to avoid jail time or additional charges. Common payment requests include gift cards, cash apps, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or bond processing fees.
These calls typically include number spoofing (caller ID looks like a local jail, courthouse or law enforcement agency), caller demands secrecy, threatens arrest or harm, refuses to allow you to verify the inmate or charges, and uses fear and urgency to rush payment.
If you receive such a call, do the following:
- Hang up immediately
- Do not send money or gift card numbers
- Independently verify inmate or charges by calling the jail or by checking the county online inmate lookup
- Report the scam to law enforcement, Indiana State Police or at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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