King County Prosecutor's Office Warns Of Scam Callers

SEATTLE, WA — The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is warning the public about a new scam where callers pose as an attorney and demand payment over the phone.

Prosecutors say the scammers have spoofed the system, so the call appears to come from their office's real phone number, (206) 477-1200. Once someone picks up, callers will then identify themselves as King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, and accuse victims of being involved in an underage prostitution case, and demand that they be sent a MoneyGram for $890 to drop the charges.

The prosecutor's office says they do not ever demand money from people involved in prostitution cases or any other type of crime, and that you should not wire that money over under any circumstances.

Instead, they say to follow these simple rules:

• Don't panic. You are not in trouble, and even if you just hang up you won't be charged with any kind of crime.
• Write down everything. Try to keep a record of when the scammer called, what they said and what number appeared when they rang. Remember that in Washington it is illegal to record someone on the phone without their knowledge, so tell them you will be recording the call and then record, if you can.
• After the call, contact police. Don't call 911, but reach your local police department's non-emergency number to report the crime.
• If you actually have previously been charged with a crime by the King County Prosecutor's Office, contact your lawyer just to make sure everything is okay.

Anyone who receives a call and isn't sure if it's legitimate can also call the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is (206) 477-1200 or email them at Prosecuting.Attorney@kingcounty.gov for more information.

A similar scam happened back in July. Officials say the King County phone lines and security have been alerted, and will hopefully be able to cut off the scammers soon.