Scams This Week 8/16/2022

August 16, 2022

We see Imposter Government and Warrant scams every week. The scammer, posing as a Government Agency, Federal, State or Local will contact you and advise that you are under investigation or currently have a warrant.

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Imposter Government and Warrant Scams:  There are a lot of iterations of this scam and how it plays out, but all are designed to instill fear in the victim so that they panic and cannot think logically. The “agent” will then offer a way out which always involves a payment.

You cannot trust phone numbers because they can be "spoofed" to say anything the scammer wants them to.  Scammers have moved away from saying that your Social Security Number was used in Texas in the commission of several felonies and instead will often say that you have failed to show up to Federal Jury Duty or failed to pay a fine.

You need to STOP, Question, and Confirm before you can see the scam for what it is.

  • Stop: Break contact. This allows you time to breathe and start to get past the panic stage.
  • Question: Ask, why would a Government Agency contact me and tell me I have a warrant? Why would they ask for payment? Isn’t that a bribe?  A Government Agency would not accept cryptocurrency, gift cards, or P2Ps as a payment for anything.
  • Confirm: Call the agency that they are stating they are. Any real Government Agency will be just fine allowing you to confirm their employment.  Look up the agency on your own and call them. If it the Boise Police Department you can also call non-emergency dispatch who would be able to confirm the officer or detective who supposedly called.

If your social security was used in the commission of a crime, that would be Identity Theft, and you would be a victim. It would not be enough to obtain a warrant for your arrest.

Law Enforcement will not call you to tell you you have a warrant. They will show up and arrest you. Law Enforcement will not demand payment. Law Enforcement will not take payment on the platforms that scammers request. Examples are pictures of gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, cash in the mail, or P2P (Venmo, CashAP, Zelle, PayPal ect.).

Courts will send a jury summons. If a juror disregard a jury summons they will be contacted through the mail, by the court clerk's office. A fine will not be imposed until after court.

Stop-Question-Confirm and don’t become a victim of a scam.

You can contact Det. Thorne on Facebook or follow @DetThorneBPD on Twitter.

Find more scam prevention tips on our website.

Contact: Boise Police Media Relations

BPDMedialine@cityofboise.org

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