The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office would like to warn residents of a scam that has recently resurfaced. This is a recurring scam. This scam is not unique to our county.
A caller is identifying themselves as an actual member of the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office. The caller will use different types of situations to scare callers. Some of the calls have asked the individuals to meet them somewhere, some have told the individual they have a warrant for their arrest, some have told the individual they missed jury duty.
Some calls ask the individual to send money, such as:
- Telling the individual their identity has been stolen and they need to get a new social security number and in order to do so, there must be a money exchange.
- Telling the individual they are out of compliance with the court and they have a warrant for their arrest and the caller needs to take bond money over the phone.
These are just examples. The callers are using unique stories with each person they call. At times, these scammers use local telephone numbers. They even use technology that allows them to make it look like they are calling from the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office phone number or another police agency.
The Alpena County Sheriff’s Office does not take money over the phone or with a prepaid gift card. If you receive a call of this nature, please do not engage with these scammers and do not send money. Questions can be directed to our office at 989-354-9830, option 3.
Additional information on spoofing and how to avoid a phone scam can be found at this website: https://www.fcc.gov/spoofing