Police are receiving reports of an arrest warrant scam that involves a caller posing as a law enforcement officer and asking for money to clear a warrant. During the calls, the caller says he is a deputy or officer with the sheriff’s department or police department looking to clear a warrant for a fee. The caller then threatens to arrest the victim to pressure them into forking over hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.

The callers manipulate caller ID to make the number appear to be local when in fact many of these calls originate outside the country.  The scammers convince people to make payments by wiring it through Western Union or buying a prepaid credit card like Green Dot and registering it online.

These scammers try to make this as convincing and as frightening as possible.  Wire transfers and prepaid cards are untraceable, and manipulated phone numbers are tough to trace. It is nearly impossible to track them down.

So, if someone calls you and tells you there is a warrant for your arrest, call the police or sheriff’s department and check.  Usually you know if you have an unpaid traffic ticket or when you have committed a crime and are wanted by the police.  If we call you on the phone, we want you to turn yourself in to the police department.  But usually, we come and find you at your home or work.