BRAINERD — The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office is informing the public a scam, previously used on residents in the area, has been used again in recent days.
The sheriff’s office received reports of community members getting calls from individuals claiming to be deputies or investigators with the sheriff’s office, with scammers using the names of both current and retired employees.
The scammer told potential victims they have a warrant, missed a court date and owe bail or fine money. The scammer will explain how to purchase gift cards or iTunes cards to be accepted as payment.
Scams using legitimate law enforcement agencies and legitimate phone numbers are not new, and unfortunately, are still being used across the country, the sheriff’s office reported. The sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies do not call community members seeking payment for anything.
Anyone getting a communication similar to this that just doesn’t seem right is asked to call the non-emergency line to the Sheriff’s Office at 218-829-4749.
