Watch out for this phone impersonation scam in Macon Co.

MACON COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — The Macon County Sheriff’s Office is again warning the community of scammers impersonating them and threatening people with arrest.

It’s a common tactic that the Sheriff’s Office has warned of several times in the past , and they warned of it again on Wednesday . People receive a call from someone posing as a deputy — this time “Sergeant Jason Brown” — and they are told that they missed court and have a warrant for their arrest. To resolve the issue, the caller asks for payment over the phone, typically in gift cards.

The caller further demands that the victim stays on the phone as they drive to a store and buy the cards, and then ask for the victim to read the card numbers.

This is all a scam, officials said. The Macon County Sheriff’s Office does not call wanted individuals to warn them of impending arrest and the Sheriff’s Office never asks for or completes financial transactions over the phone. Even if the call appears to be coming from the Sheriff’s Office phone number, scammers can spoof the number so that is what appears on caller ID.

Officials added that scammers will often use victim’s emotions against them, whether that is fear or compassion, and they will use many ways to build trust, such as spoofing.

As a general rule of thumb, the Sheriff’s Office advised people to never pay over the phone for any reason unless they have verified who they are talking to. People who aren’t sure can tell the scammer that they will search for the Sheriff’s Office phone number and call them back. Calling a spoofed phone number will not reconnect people with the scammer, but the actual owner of that phone number.

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