Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Sunday, February 18, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - The Bloomington Police Department has been notified that a person alleging to be a Lieutenant from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has been calling local residents advising that they have failed to appear in court.
They are then advised that a judge has issued a warrant for their arrest. The "Lieutenant" will then offer to accept a bond
payment in lieu of them going to jail. Residents are then instructed to go to a local store and purchase moneypak or gift cards.
Please be aware that this is a popular scam and that a true law enforcement officer will never ask you to pay over the phone. Additionally, another good indication that this is a scam is that the caller will ask for payment via gift cards. The jail, police departments, and courts do not accept gift cards as a valid form of payment.
Regrettably, these scams are nearly always trace back to a foreign country and it is virtually impossible to successfully prosecute the persons responsible for these criminal acts. Unfortunately these scams will continue as long as a percentage of the population responds by sending money to the scammers.
When an unsolicited call comes to your phone and has the common factors of being threatening and demanding money, be assured that 99.9 percent of the time it is a scam. Just hang-up. They won't call back. They will just move on to the next number looking for someone to victimize.
If you have any questions please call your local police department at the listed number and never call a number provided by the scammer.
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