Sheriff’s office warns scammers getting more sophisticated

Wil Day
·2 min read

EL DORADO, Kan. (KSNW) – The Butler County Sheriff’s Office says they’re seeing a significant increase in scam calls and warn that the scammers are getting more sophisticated.

The office says scammers targeting Butler County residents are now using the real names of deputies, including the names of deputies that are well-known in the community. The sheriff’s office wants to remind you that no law enforcement agency will ever contact you by telephone to tell you that you have a warrant or missed jury duty.

They will also never ask you for money or to pay a fine by buying a gift card, bank transfer, money transfer, cashier’s check, or through Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency. Scammers can sound very convincing and use fear and urgency to convince people to pay.

Scammers use the internet to gather as much information about their victims as possible before contacting them to sound more convincing when they call. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be law enforcement saying you have a warrant, missed jury duty, or are suspected of a crime and need to pay money to avoid facing arrest, hang up and call the department or agency they claim to be from to verify if you are still uncertain that it is a scam.

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The FBI offers these tips to avoid being scammed:

  • Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.

  • Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere. (You can use Google Image Search or TinEye for photos. You can also copy and paste the full text of their initial message to you into a web search to see if it shows up elsewhere.)

  • Go slowly and ask lots of questions.

  • Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.

  • Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.

  • Beware if the individual promises to meet in person but then always comes up with an excuse why he or she can’t. If you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.

  • Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone.

For more information about scams and how to report them, click here.

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