The Norfolk County Sheriff’s office urged anyone who gets a call demanding money and threatening them for missing jury duty or claiming there is a warrant for their arrest to simply hang up on likely scammers.
The warning issued Monday came after at least two people lost a combined $6,700 to scammers pretending to be the Norfolk County Sheriff’s office.
“The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office and local police never make calls like this,” the office wrote on Facebook. “Just hang up. If they call back. Hang up again and report the calls to your police department. You may be caught off guard and unwittingly fall victim. Just hang up.”
On Monday, a woman from Sharon arrived at the sheriff’s office in Dedham with receipts from a Bitcoin kiosk totaling $5,250. She told an officer she was there to clear up an issue about missing jury duty after transferring the money.
The sheriff’s office determined someone left the woman a voicemail posing as an employee who warned about missed jury duty. When she returned the call, the voice on the other end indicated it was connected to the sheriff’s office. The woman spoke to the scammer several times on the phone before arriving at a bitcoin kiosk to transfer the money.
A sign on the machine warned of similar scams, but the scammer told the woman she would be detained for 10 to 12 days if she didn’t transfer the money.
About 90 minutes later, a woman from Dedham came to the office reporting she believed she may have fallen victim to a scam. A person claiming to be a “lieutenant” with the sheriff’s office told her there was a warrant for her arrest for missing jury duty. The woman was told she would be arrested and detained for 72 hours if she didn’t pay.
The scammer sent the woman a fraudulent court document to back up their claims and instructions on how to pay the “bond” at a Bitcoin kiosk in Roslindale. The woman went to the store and transferred $1,450.
The sheriff’s office urged both women to file reports with their local police departments.
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