LEXINGTON, Ky. — Scammers pretending to be police to get money is something that police always warn people about.
Now, the police say that these con artists are coming up with new ways to trick people.
Daniel Pruitt said that someone recently tried to hurt him.
You called and said you were called for jury service, but I knew I wasn’t, so it was a little weird. “Thought I was smart enough to figure it out, that wasn’t true,” Pruitt said.
This kind of call happens to other people too.
He said this is a new trend. Scooter Stein from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office agreed.
Stein said, “We have a warrant for your arrest unless you pay that off. It basically says you missed jury duty.”
Stein said that the caller ID on these fake calls may often show the same number as these police departments.
Stein said, “We will never tell you that you are being arrested; we will just come and get you. We will never tell you that you can pay this off to stay out of jail.”
Stein also said that con artists are asking people to use gift cards or money orders to pay them.
“That people are being taken advantage of is the really hard part,” he said.
Stein said that if you get a call and aren’t sure if it’s a scam, you should call your local police department to make sure it was them.
“Please end the call and call us if you feel badly at any time.” Every day, we take these calls. We hear them, so we know it’s true. Stein said, “We know, give us a call.”
Pruitt said that he has asked his phone company to block scam calls, but they are still going through.
