DANVERS, MA — North Shore residents are being warned about the latest scam in which a caller purports to be a member of law enforcement demanding restitution for a crime.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office said it has received reports of a scammer posing as an Essex Sheriff’s deputy “working the phones, calling people, demanding payment.”
“The Essex County Sheriff’s Department will never call you asking for money,” the Essex Sheriff’s Office said.
The scam has become a familiar one in recent years and typically involves an unsolicited phone call — often around dinnertime — telling the recipient that a warrant has been issued for that person’s arrest if they do not immediately settle a debt or pay restitution for a crime.
Even if the person called is not aware of the crime — which is frequently also fabricated — experts say they can be convinced to make the payment out of confusion or simply as an attempt to make the issue go away.
Beverly Community Impact Supervisor Daniel Brown recently spoke to the Beverly City Council about that scam and other common scams on the North Shore — and why they are claiming so many area victims.
Brown said that while spotting a scam may seem easy to many, con artists and grifters are becoming increasingly sophisticated and prey on the very emotions that cloud a person’s judgment.
“These are professionals,” he told the City Council. “This is what they do full-time. They rip people off and they’re good at it. They’ve gotten better at…
