CINCINNATI — Sheriffs departments everywhere are warning about a surge in scam calls this holiday season, claiming to be from law enforcement.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Clerk of Courts Pavan Parikh have both issued alerts in recent weeks about calls impersonating their offices.
They say these calls claim you missed jury duty or some other court appearance, and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest.
Scammers do their homework, even target doctors
Dr. Beatriz Porras nearly became a victim, going so far as to withdraw thousands of dollars cash to pay what she thought was a court fine.
Porras, a Montgomery dermatologist, recently received a threatening voicemail on her phone.
"My name is Deputy Reiger. I'm here with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department," the caller said.
A man claiming to be a sheriff's deputy said she missed a court appearance to be an expert witness in a case, and was therefore now in contempt of court.
So she called the number back, and her world stopped.
"They knew my Social Security Number, they knew that I'm a doctor, they knew addresses, they knew my date of birth," she said.
It all sounded so legitimate, and she was frightened.
"They had a warrant out for my arrest," she said, "and they were coming to apprehend me."
To avoid arrest, the man told her, "I had to pay a bond of $15,000."
He then told her to drive to her bank and withdraw $15,000 in cash, telling her to be sure to keep the call live the whole time, so he could listen to the conversation she was having with the teller, and make sure she did not raise suspicions.
"I said that I was remodeling my kitchen, and that the contractor wanted cash," Porras said she told the teller.
The caller then told her to deposit the money into an ATM, into an account that he would provide.
Minutes away from losing $15,000
She almost did it, but started getting suspicious, and decided to stop at the Sycamore Township Police department first.
An officer there, she says, grabbed her phone and confronted the caller.
"He said 'what is your badge number?' And that is when the other guy hung up," Porras said.
It was over, just minutes before she handed over $15,000 to a scammer.
"Thank God, you know, I didn't lose that money, but they tortured me for three hours," she said.
So if you get a threatening call from a sheriff's department, saying something like "you missed your civic duty this morning," remember that someone is likely trying to scam you.
That way you don't waste your money.
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