Lake County Sheriff's Office investigating scam calls asking residents to provide sensitive information
CHICAGO - The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says they are investigating several instances where a scammer calls Lake County residents pretending to be a sergeant with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The offender will identify himself as ‘Sergeant Bennett’ and tells the caller they have an active warrant for their arrest. The scammer will also provide the victim with the victim’s name and address, making the victim feel that the caller is an official police officer.
The scammer then orders the victim to purchase gift cards and provide the gift card numbers and pins to the scammer in order to satisfy the warrant.
The scammer has also asked victims for their social security numbers, banking information and other sensitive information.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says a Sergeant Michael Bennett is employed with the department, which leads callers to believe the scammer is legitimate.