Scammers are calling people in eastern Idaho about fake warrants and subpoenas

The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

Among the wide variety of frauds and scams our area has seen, a familiar one has once again been reported in our area. Several reports have been passed to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office about a scam targeting people and advising them they have unresolved warrants or subpoenas. The suspects in this scam are again using names similar to those with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and coming from a phone number that appears to be a Bonneville County number. The nature of the scam involves the suspect telling the victim they may go to jail for the issue but can ultimately resolve it by paying money over the phone.

Reports received today involve individuals who are listed on the Idaho Sex Offender Registry. Those victims are advised they have unresolved warrants or registry procedures due to some type of new federal regulation. While this approach can be convincing, registering of sex offenders in Idaho is handled at the local County Sheriff level and changes are communicated through the mail from the Idaho State Police. Currently there have been no changes in the procedure that would result a warrant, subpoena, or fine that would need to be paid over the phone.

A telltale sign of these scam calls is when the victims are asked to go to the store, obtain a gift card or money transfer card of and pay a fine over the phone. Scammers are now going as far as providing links or a method to pay in cryptocurrency or bank transfer in order to make the warrant or subpoena go away.

While there are many legitimate reasons for our Deputies and local Law Enforcement to contact people, there is never a time where an issue can be handled by paying money over the phone, especially by way of a gift card or money transfer card such as Apple, Google, or GreenDot. Deputies may contact people from time to time to advise them of pending court action, warrants, or to serve civil papers. Typically, those issues are resolved by serving the paper or physically going to the courthouse. Again, Deputies do not solicit money over the phone to resolve pending court issues.

If you are contacted by phone and unaware there is a pending issue, you can always contact your local Law Enforcement or Courts to verify a Deputy or Officer is trying to reach you. Never give your personal or financial information to anyone over the phone to someone that hasn’t been verified. If you are a victim of a phone scam and have suffered monetary loss, report it to your local Law Enforcement. Pay close attention to your accounts, utilize the security features and settings when available and change your passwords often.