The Story County Sheriff’s Office has become aware of recent phone scams made by an individual claiming to be a Lieutenant with our office.  Those who receive this call are advised they have an arrest warrant and are asked to pay money to take care of the warrant.  The scammers will use the name of a legitimate deputy and use a method of spoofing which shows a legitimate phone number from our office.

We would like to remind the public to use caution anytime a phone call is received and the caller is asking for payment or personal information.  Furthermore, the Story County Sheriff’s Office will not call and demand payment to satisfy a warrant.

Please use the following tips to help avoid being the victim of a scam call:

• Scammers will often pose as someone you would trust such as a family member, bank or law enforcement official.  Be suspicious of any calls received asking for money or personal information.
• Don’t trust the caller ID number, with current technology it is common for a scammer to make it appear the call is from a legitimate number.
• If you are unsure about the authenticity of the call, hang up and call back using a number you know to be legitimate.
• Scammers will pressure you to make decisions in a hurry and might even threaten you.  Slow down, call someone you trust or do an online search before giving out information.

 If you have received a call you believe to be a scam and have provided personal or financial information please report this to your local law enforcement.  You may also make scam reports to http://www.ftc.gov/complaint.  For more information on how to report and block unwanted numbers visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/how-stop-unwanted-calls.