Area residents are being warned about phone scammers impersonating local law enforcement officers in apparent attempts to trick people into sending them money or gift cards.
A phone scammer uses the name of the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department’s chief deputy to leave a voicemail message. The fraudster is heard pronouncing “St. Francois” differently than local residents, a clear red flag for the scam. When the callback number left by the scammer is dialed, a recorded message from Verizon Wireless indicates the number is no longer in service.
Over the last month or so, multiple people have reportedly received phone calls from individuals claiming to work for the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department. Making the claims more believable, the callers have been using “call spoofing,” so it appears they are calling from a sheriff’s department phone number. The phony callers have even been using real names…
