☎ Scammers Impersonate Local Law Enforcement Offering to Cancel Warrants for a Fee

Today WWLP reported that scammers have been calling Hampden County residents and claiming to be officials from the sheriff’s department.

The scammers will tell their target that there’s an outstanding warrant for his or her arrest, either for missing jury duty or failing to appear at some other court hearing. They then ask the victim to pay a fee over the phone using gift cards. Once the payment is received, they claim that the warrant will be canceled.

According to WWLP,

[T]he sheriff’s office learned about the scheme when a man went to a local Walmart trying to purchase around $3,000 worth of gift cards. The gentleman said he had a warrant with the sheriff’s office, that’s when a retail worker noticed it was suspicious and called [the sheriff’s office] to check.

For more on arrest warrants see my earlier posts:

• Default Warrants vs. Straight Warrants in Massachusetts
• Walk-In Warrants: Going to Court When There’s a Warrant for Your Arrest
• Arrest Warrants: Do They Expire?
• Capias and Civil Arrest Warrants in Massachusetts