'If you don't pay, you'll be arrested': Scammers target suburban residents by claiming to be cops
WILL COUNTY, Illinois - The Will County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to be aware that con artists are robbing residents by pretending to be police.
Here's how the scam works:
- The con artist calls and pretends to be a Will County Sheriff's Office detective or sergeant, sometimes using a real officer's name.
- The scammer tells the victim there's a warrant out for their arrest because they've ripped off the COVID Paycheck Protection Program.
- The scammer might also tell the victim they are in danger of losing their professional licenses.
- Once the victim is scared, the scammer says the warrant can be paid over the phone using Green Dot Money Pak cards, which can be purchased at stores for up to $400/card. Some victims are told to buy multiple cards and are even forced to call their banks to increase their daily debit card limits to do so.
- The scammer has technology that allows their calls to appear on caller ID to be from the Will County Sheriff's Office, even though they are not.
The Will County Sheriff's Office wants the public to know that police will never call you on the phone to get a payment for a citation, bail, bond, warrant or processing fee. Real police officers will never call you for your bank information, or try to get you to purchase gift cards or do wire transfers.