The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is warning county residents to be vigilant following two reported scams this week.
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s office received a complaint from a local resident involving a scam. The county resident received a phone call from a 937-550-3690 phone number and stated that a male caller began speaking to her stating that he was with the sheriff’s office and that she had missed jury duty.
This male caller informed her a warrant had been issued for her arrest. The resident was then told to go to her bank and withdraw money.
The resident was instructed to obtain two Money Pak Cards with one card for $489 and another card for $500 and return to her home.
The caller was instructed to return home and call the same number. The resident did obtain the cards and made the phone call.
The resident was then instructed to provide them with the security numbers from the back of the Money Pak Cards and take the cards with receipts to the sheriff’s office.
On Monday, a local resident said that her landlord sent her a text message stating that she had just received a telephone call from Alliance Law, 855-828-6997, and they wanted for her to contact them right away in reference to serving court documents.
The reporting party said she called the number and a female receptionist answered, Alliance Law Group and asked for a case number. The resident gave them the case number and she advised that a lawyer would speak with her in reference to litigation.
The resident said that a male caller by the name of Brett Cove, actually had her name. The male caller said they had court documents that needed to be served to her in reference to a civil suit for an unpaid “Pay Day” loan from the year 2010 business P.C.A.
The male caller kept trying to have the victim provide her credit card number or that she was going to be charged with a felony for defrauding a financial institution.
Champaign County Sheriff Matt Melvin stated scam predators making these phone calls are very aggressive and convincing to unsuspecting victims who have not heard about these scams.
“These predators prey on people’s fears and emotions of being arrested or punished by law enforcement, or the IRS, or their grandchild is sitting in jail somewhere or any other threatening story they convey to the caller,” Melvin stated.
The sheriff’s office provided tips for citizens they can pass along to people including:
•Law enforcement, the courts, government agencies or reputable businesses will never threaten to arrest and demand payments or personal banking information over the phone.
•Resist the urge to act quickly. Verify the information by calling the “agency” at phone numbers you looked up, not ones provided by the scammers. In Champaign County, the sheriff’s office number is 937-484-6091 or the Champaign County Wide Communication Center at 937-653-3409 to report this activity.
•Contact family or friends. Tell them about the call, verify information before taking any action.
•The sheriff’s office is asking local businesses in the area that sells prepaid cards or conducts electronic money transfers to look out for their customers, post information about these scams and if possible mention scams to people who are purchasing large amounts of cards or wiring funds.
“Do not be fooled by these persons and give your money to scammers,” Melvin stated. “Please spread the word. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office.”
