The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published September 19, 2018

‘Warrant for your arrest’ is a new telephone scam

CAMDEN COUNTY – Thieves are once again using telephone scams to prey on those who are unaware of their tactics.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Department (CCSD) is warning people to beware of a scare tactic that has been encountered by some in the lake area, and that is: “There’s a warrant out for you, send us money.”

The goal (besides getting money directly from you) is to obtain personal information so they can steel your identity and cause you personal and financial loss.

This privacy invasion can also extend to email or regular mail, but telephones are the most common.

“Many people have been receiving phone calls from scammers claiming to be with a Law Enforcement Agency advising the intended victim that they have a warrant for their arrest,” a CCSD spokesman said. “If the intended victim falls for it, they will be asked for banking information to remedy the warrant.”

The fact is, if the police department has a warrant for you they will not call you or email you, they will come to visit you in person. So if you get a call about a warrant for you and they want money sent, don’t give them the information.

It’s a similar tactic that has been used for a while and that one involves someone calling claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Just the idea of them looking for you scares the living daylights out of most people but don’t fall for it, it’s a scam also.

The IRS will send you correspondence in writing and not by telephone or through email.

“Granted, the IRS is not very forgiving but you will not receive a phone call or email from them,” said the spokesman. “You may receive a letter with case number. Call your local IRS agency or even the Attorney General’s Office if you receive calls or correspondence.”

So what to do? How about asking for their phone number and you’ll call them back?

“Many times if you ask these people for their phone numbers advising them that you are going to contact your local law enforcement to verify their identity, they will give you one,” the spokesman said. “More times than not if you try and call the person back it has already been disconnected or they deny making the call.”

The bottom line is do not provide any of your personal information via the telephone, internet, or by mail, unless the correspondence is initiated by you. Even then make sure that the information is going to the intended source.

But not all calls asking for donations are thieves. This is the time of year when many law enforcement agencies are requesting assistance through donations to acquire public safety education materials or calendars.

If you have any concerns about the validity of the caller, contact your local law enforcement agency.