Michigan – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is warning people again to be on the lookout after fresh reports of a scam in which criminals are pretending to be the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. The warning has been repeated after customers said they got disturbing phone calls and voicemails saying they were in serious legal danger
The Attorney General’s Office said that the scam usually starts with a call from someone pretending to be an Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy. In certain circumstances, the person on the other end of the line demands cash right away to “fix” a legal problem.
In other cases, victims get a voicemail requesting them to call back to talk about what is called a “urgent legal matter.” The tone of the messages is often threatening and designed to pressure recipients into acting quickly.
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Scammers may exploit personal information to make the calls seem real, according to investigators. People can utilize this information to scare victims and make them think the situation is real.
Attorney General Nessel noted that these approaches are aimed to scare and confuse people, which makes it more likely that they will go along with them without verifying the claims.
Nessel advised individuals to take their time and check for themselves any unexpected messages that say they are from the police or another government body.
“These sophisticated scams are designed to intimidate victims,” Nessel said.
“Before providing any personal or financial information, please remember to verify any claims with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department directly.”
The Attorney General also gave those who get strange communications some advice: block the call, text, or email, stay away from links or attachments, report the message as spam, and delete it from their device.
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Nessel also stressed that one of the most important signs of fraud is that government services never ask for payment over the phone, via text, or by email. They also don’t ask for payment through payment applications, wire transfers, crypto, or prepaid gift cards.
Residents can considerably lower the likelihood of falling for these increasingly sophisticated government impersonation frauds if they stay alert and check claims through proper means.