Phone scammers posing as sheriff’s office personnel

By Canton Citizen

Norfolk County Sheriff Michael G. Bellotti issued a bulletin last week warning about a number of telephone scams targeting residents of Norfolk County.

In recent weeks the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office has received dozens of calls from county residents who have received calls from fraudulent scam artists purporting to be deputy sheriffs. The individuals identify themselves as deputy sheriffs working for the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office and they attempt to extort money from residents by requesting payments from credit cards, gift cards, or money pack cards under the threat of arrest.

These scams have been occurring in counties throughout the United States with many following a similar pattern. In most instances callers will identify themselves as deputy sheriffs and/or IRS agents and threaten arrest if they are not paid within a specified time period. Bellotti emphasized that “law enforcement agencies do not call people and demand payments from them under the threat of immediate arrest for failure to comply.” Many of these scammers tell the phone recipient that if payment is not made immediately, a deputy will be dispatched to their home and they will be arrested.

“Scams have been around for decades, but with the immergence of new technology, scam artists have become adept at utilizing new technology to assist in giving the con artist legitimacy,” Bellotti said.

In many cases these scam artists use software that causes the recipients’ caller ID to indicate the call is originating from the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office in Dedham. The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office will never call an individual and demand money in exchange for cancelling an arrest warrant or avoiding jail time.

In other cases, the caller may claim to be from or working with the Internal Revenue Service and demand payment, often in the form of prepaid debit cards, iTunes cards, or other gift cards. The IRS will never call to collect money without first mailing a notice, or require payment be made by prepaid debit or gift card. More information regarding ongoing IRS scams can be found at www.irs.gov.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office urges residents to educate themselves and their family members, particularly the elderly about these tactics, in order to avoid victimization.

Anyone who receives such a call should hang up and notify Joe Canavan, director of senior programs, at 781-751-3516 or contact your local police department.

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