IDAHO FALLS – The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about an increase in phone scams.
It has recently received many reports regarding a phone scam targeting eastern Idaho residents, where callers are asking for money from victims to avoid arrest.
“In the scam, the victims are told they may have a warrant for their arrest related to jury duty, fines or other court issues,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. “Ultimately, the victims are told to obtain Green Dot Money cards or other financial cards from a local business and provide the card numbers over the phone in order to pay a fine and avoid arrest or further consequences.”
Often, information and phone numbers used in the scams will reference actual Bonneville County phone numbers, addresses and the names of actual deputies or employees. Sometimes, victims connect to the fraudulent callers when the redial button is pushed.
Deputies have seen several instances where an automated system answers and seems to be a realistic connection to Bonneville County offices.
“While it is common for law enforcement or the county courts to contact people by phone for what could be a variety of issues, there is never a circumstance where a law enforcement or county official will solicit money over the phone for the purposes of avoiding arrest or criminal consequences,” states the news release. “Individuals who do have active warrants for their arrest for any purpose must…
