St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Warns Of Law Enforcement Scam Reported In The Northland
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office shared a public alert on Thursday (August 24) that they have received multiple reports of scammers posing as law enforcement officials attempting to take advantage of people over the phone in Northern Minnesota.
In the notice from the sheriff's office, they share that the department has received multiple reports from Northlanders who received phone calls from someone posing as a law enforcement official, claiming that the person receiving the call missed a court date.
The scammer then leverages this "missed court date" into an opportunity to take advantage of the call recipient, demanding a monetary payment over the phone.
While a call like this could seem legitimate, generating a feeling of immediacy to remedy this seemingly missed legal obligation, the St. Louis County Sherriff's Office says calls like this are not legitimate.
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The sheriff's office goes on to explain that law enforcement (whether local police, the sheriff's office, or other law enforcement officials) do not call members of the community to ask for payment over the phone. Like many scams, the immediate request or demand for payment of money, gift cards, or other similar items should always be perceived as a potential scam.
The department goes on to say that if anyone receives a call like this, you should not provide payment in any form - whether it be by credit card, check, cash, gift card, etc. If you receive a call of this nature, you should hang up. If you'd like to file a police report, you can do so by calling 911.
Finally, if you have any questions about payments of fines, court dates, or other such calls (emails, letters, or other forms of communication), you should reach out to court administrators to verify the legitimacy of the claim.
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