Impersonation scams are on the rise, including locally.
The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office has received numerous reports of residents receiving calls, emails, or texts from an individual claiming to be with the United States District Court.
The scammer would claim the target failed to appear for jury duty or that they have an outstanding warrant for their arrest.
In the case of a phone call, the scammer tells the target they are federally required to stay on the line and turn themselves in to a designated law enforcement agency.
While en route, the fraudster then tries to elicit further information on the target, including gaining access to their personal accounts.
The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents that the United States District Court will NOT call, text, or email you demanding payment, threaten or intimidate over the phone, or ask for payment using gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or prepaid debit cards.
Additionally, legitimate courts do NOT request personal or financial information by phone or email.
If you do receive a call that has you concerned, you are encouraged to hang up and call the agency the caller claimed to be from.
Any legitimate law enforcement or court system will not prosecute you for hanging up out of an abundance of caution.
Also, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office has said that its Communications Center has received numerous reports of another phone scam over the last several days.
This time around, the scammer is calling residents, identifying themselves as either Perry Jones or Perry Smet, stating they are with either the City of Fond du Lac Police Department or the Sheriff’s Office.
They then indicate that the individual they are contacting failed to show for jury duty and will be held in contempt of court, or that there is a warrant out for their arrest.
The caller then states that these issues can be rectified via payment through various methods. Authorities in Fond du Lac County urge residents to hang up the phone if they receive such a call, as they are fraudulent and the work of a scammer.
Anyone who does receive such a call is encouraged to report the incident to law enforcement.
This is just the most recent incident in a long list of law enforcement impersonation scams to hit our area in the past year, with most agencies reporting similar scams recently.
