Waukesha County Sheriff's Department warns of impostor scam, claiming missed court appearance, unpaid fines
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Scammers claiming to be from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department have been calling residents, claiming they missed a court appearance, have unpaid fines or missed jury duty, and that a warrant will be issued for their arrest unless they pay immediately.
The impostor then asks the resident to pay with a pre-paid money card and leaves a call-back number to receive the card number and access codes, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department said in a news release late Thursday.
Several residents complained about receiving such calls, the department said.
"It is not common practice for the Waukesha Sheriff's Department to contact citizens via telephone to advise them of warrants or to collect fines," the news release said. "It is also not the practice of the Waukesha Sheriff's Department to collect payment for fines via pre-paid money cards."
Residents who receive scam calls from impostors should hang up, ignore the request for money and instead report the scam to the sheriff's department.
Less than a month ago, an impostor claiming to be from the IRS scammed a city of Waukesha resident out of $500 by claiming the resident owed back taxes. That resident paid via a pre-paid card.
It's a common sign of scams when someone asks for payment with pre-paid cards such as Green Dot MoneyPak, which are available at grocery stores. It's nearly impossible to track who cashes the money and the person who bought the card has no way to get their money back once it's taken out.
In general, pre-paid cards should be treated like cash. Don't give out the card number to anyone you don't know and don't share receipt information by email or phone.
You can read more about Green Dot MoneyPak scams on MoneyPak's website.
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