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Kent County phone Scam Alert: police impersonators

Posted at 9:25 PM, Apr 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-20 22:06:25-04

KENT COUNTY, Mich.  — The Kent County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Scam Alert, saying an old trick has resurfaced.

Two people in the area received phone calls recently from someone claiming to be a Sheriff’s deputy. The Sheriff’s Office says “the alleged deputy informed the resident that their family member – who is a sex offender – is in violation of the Sex Offender Registry in some way, and will be arrested unless a fine is paid.”

Investigators say both calls were to senior citizens who did have a family member on the Sex Offender Registry. The senior citizens were given a phone number to call in order to “resolve the matter”. And when the number was called, it was answered by someone greeting the caller by saying “Kent County Sheriff’s Department.”

Police have reported some other scams over the last several months involving people claiming on the phone to be police officers.