Phone Scammers Pretending To Be Sheriff's Officers In Will County

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office says to be on the lookout for a phone scammer with a southern drawl after several residents reported fraudulent calls last week. Officials say the man reportedly identifies himself as a sheriff's sergeant and attempts to solicit personal information from his victims. The scam appears to be quite sophisticated.

"He is identifying himself using the first and last name of an actual sergeant who is employed here," officials said. "The caller ID number is an actual phone number from our department."

Someone also called a registered sex offender last week, identifying himself as "Detective Brown from the Will County Sheriff's Department," and telling the man he had been subpoenaed. The scammer asked the man to drop off money at an undisclosed location to "get back into compliance with the law," officials said.

The sheriff's office said the man was in compliance with the law and that its deputies will never ask anyone for compliance money. In addition, there is no "Detective Brown" with their office. It's not clear if the two scams are related.

"Although we make every attempt at informing citizens of the most recent scams that are being reported, these scam artists continually come up with different angles and sophisticated ways to trick unsuspecting individuals out of their money," officials said, warning residents not to fall for the scams, no matter how creative they might be.

The Will County Sheriff's Office does not solicit residents' personal information over the phone or call residents for fundraisers or to otherwise collect money.

"Nor do we make threatening phone calls to residents regarding payments for warrants, sex-offender compliance or a no-show at jury duty," officials said.

If you think you may have been targeted by a scammer, take the caller's information and call the sheriff's office at 815-727-8575 as soon as possible.

Image via Shutterstock