The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public of a phone scam involving unpaid traffic tickets.
Since Tuesday, the sheriff’s office has been receiving complaints about individuals calling residents and claiming they have an unpaid traffic citation. The scammers claim that if a citation isn’t paid, a warrant will be issued, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Other callers have reported the scammers using court terms, like subpoena. In one case, a scammer told a person that they had ignored a subpoena that involved an investigation, the news release says.
“They’re just trying to get them to give them money,” said Duane Burgess, sheriff.
There is no law enforcement agency or court in Johnson County that would call and ask for payment of any kind over the phone, the news release said.
“These scammers do their research and will attempt to use names of law enforcement officers who may actually work in Johnson County. As the Johnson County Sheriff, I can ensure you that I do not call citizens nor do my deputies call and request payments of any kind,” Burgess said.
Scam calls purporting to be from Johnson County law enforcement officers have happened before. Some calls have even used Burgess’ name. The scammers often get the names from press releases and news reports, he said.
“They’re trying to gain (people’s) trust and it’s unfortunate they do this,” Burgess said.
If people do not recognize the…
