Calhoun County Sheriff Impersonators Are Calling Battle Creek Residents And Demanding Money
A new phone scam is going around in the Battle Creek area, claiming to be from the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department and trying to steal money from unsuspecting residents.
There’s been a warning that’s been put out on a Calhoun County group and other local residents about a phone scam that actually leaves a voicemail and has someone on the line.
The voicemail claimed to be from Deputy David McKenzie and apparently claimed there is an inmate in the jail who listed the person as their emergency contact, which is why the call is being made in the first place.
Luckily, somebody who received one of these calls told the person over the phone that they didn’t know them and that they would be reporting this to the police department. The response they got was:
“Uh-oh. I’ll remove you from the call list.”
A lot of times when this happens, the scammer will do anything and everything they can do to get the money out of you, including sounding threatening. This is what happened in this particular case when, after she told him in no-so-nice words that he was a scammer, he stated that she was on a recorded line and she would be receiving a citation. She responded with"
“Good, give me a ticket and have the police come to my address.”
This is something that can seem very real and threatening, which is how they want you to take it, but as one woman in the comment section pointed out, as a bondsman, this is something you should never do and always report to the police:
I’m a bondsman, and this has been happening a lot. People are actually sending these people money cause they normally find a family member and convince them by saying, if you pay this, they will be on a tether, and we are gonna put them in rehab (if the charge is a drug charge). Don’t ever bond someone over the phone; it’s not possible!
8 Things To Do If You Paid A Phone Scammer
Merciless phone scammers are targeting unaware folks with schemes involving pleas for charity, car warranties, unpaid traffic tickets, you name it. The Federal Trade Commission says, "Scammers often ask you to pay in ways that make it tough to get your money back. No matter what payment method you used to pay, the sooner you act, the better."
If you have paid one of these scammers and then realize you have been scammed, here are 8 tips from the Federal Trade Commission, on what to do if you have paid a scammer.
Gallery Credit: Brad Carpenter/Federal Trade Commission/Canva