Sheriff’s Office Warns of New Phone Scam in Allegan County
I assumed that since the tax deadline has already come and gone, all the spam robocalls and fake emails would make their way out of west Michigan too! Turns out I was wrong. The Allegan County Sheriff's Office is warning of a new scam they've seen in recent weeks and here's what you need to know.
Over the past week the Allegan County Sheriff's Office and the Allegan County Central Dispatch have received numerous complaints of a new phone scam attempting to acquire money from local residents.
Authorities say the person on the other end of the line calls themselves "Deputy Johnson". In addition to the classic scam where these thieves try to convince you that you have an outstanding warrant that needs to be paid immediately or you face imminent jail time, this new scam has folks believing that they need to submit a DNA sample.
Says the Holland Sentinel,
According to the sheriff’s office, the caller tells individuals they had “signed a certified letter” indicating they would submit to a “secondary DNA sample per new federal mandates” and have not complied.
When the caller refuses, the scammers then say there is a warrant out for your arrest and you must pay your fees via money order or gift card and then turn yourself in to the Allegan County Jail.
Pay for a warrant via gift card?! That's your sign that something's not right. As with all these scams, the Sheriff's Office reminds the public that it does not inform individuals about active warrants over the phone and will also not ask for payment over the phone. Authorities also add that there's a new twist to this scam as it appears to be targeting individuals who are on the registered sex offenders list in Ottawa County.
If you have received a similar call or know someone who has, authorities ask that you please report it to local law enforcement or the Allegan County Sheriff's Office at 269-673-0205.