Fraud Alert: Los Angeles Officials Caution Against Impersonators Pretending to Be Sheriff’s Deputies Demanding Payment
Officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have reported that con artists will call residents telling them that they are members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) (deputy, sergeant, detective, etc.) and demanding that they pay a fine for failing to respond to a jury duty summons or an outstanding warrant.
Scammers take advantage of victims who are afraid of being arrested by tricking them into making payments using pre-paid credit cards, gift cards, or Bitcoin. To compel people, many of whom are older, into giving them money that they have worked hard to earn, con artists utilize a phony feeling of urgency and apply pressure.
Scammers will frequently use the names of actual members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LASD).
If you receive a demand for payment via telephone, email, or any other means of contact, to be made in any form for any reason, from an individual who claims to be an employee of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, you should not comply with the demand.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department will never, ever solicit for payment over the phone or by email.
Contact the local law enforcement agency and report the occurrence if you suspect that you were a victim of this type of criminal activity.
To learn how to recognize a potential threat-based impersonation fraud and how to protect yourself from falling victim to this scam or other scams of a similar nature, please visit the website fraud Spoofing Apps Impersonating LA County Deputies (lasd.org).