Police: Scammers impersonating officers, claiming sheriff’s sale of property

Authorities are warning about scammers impersonating local police or government employees, saying that your property is subject to a sheriff’s sale due to unpaid debts or warning that you have a warrant for your arrest, or a fine that needs paid.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, these scammers can sound very convincing when they call you. They use the names of real police officers or deputies and can use software to trick your Caller ID into thinking the call is coming from a legitimate police number. They will threaten you with legal action or even arrest to create a sense of urgency and will try to get you to go to a fraudulent website to make payments to the scammers.

Johnson County Sheriff’s Department said recently that people are reporting that scammers are claiming to be a Major Andy Fisher with the department.

Authorities say that law enforcement agencies will never request payments over the phone or online to settle legal matters. And they will never ask you to purchase gift cards or prepaid debit cards to pay a debt or fine. You should never provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers.

If you receive one of these calls, you should just hang up. If you have questions, you can call local authorities directly at a trusted number.