One of the scams that almost always appears on our annual list of “most common scams of the year” is the government imposter scam. The catch line is usually how they can help you satisfy a debt you might have or help you recover funds that you are owed quickly.
Recently, we’ve seen increased reports of a particular government imposter scam involving a caller claiming to be from the local sheriff’s office alleging there is an outstanding arrest warrant that needs to be addressed. The caller usually says that the matter can be resolved by making a payment over the phone. The caller threatens that without payment, a deputy will be out to arrest the individual, and further legal action will ensue.
This scam has been reported by a number of local law enforcement agencies across Kansas. Previous scams have involved someone pretending to be from the district court threatening the call recipient with a fine for missed jury duty. Both scams use the violation of the law as a scare tactic to get you to part with your money over the phone. It is important to know that law enforcement will never offer payment as a way to avoid arrest, and court officers will not call you and ask you for money for missing jury duty.
Another version of this scam includes callers claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or Kansas Department of Revenue,…
