Beware Fake “Investigators” in Latest Phone Scam

Telephone scams that try to trick people into giving money or revealing personal information are becoming more sophisticated. The latest variation on this scam is coming from fraudsters pretending to be law enforcement.On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at approximately 3:00 p.m., a resident from the Beatrice area was called by a suspect who had “spoofed” her phone number so the call appeared to be coming from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect used the name of an actual investigator from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and told the victim she had missed court and had to pay $3,060.00 in order to stay out of jail. The suspect told the victim to not hang up with him or he would send “a mobile unit” to her house to arrest her.During the 43-minute phone call with the suspect, the victim was able to text the Gage County Victim Assistance coordinator, who then contacted the real investigator and advised him of the ongoing scam.The investigator called the suspect and advised her she was being scammed. She put the suspect and the investigator on a conference call and within a few seconds the suspect hung up. After confirming with her that she did not have a warrant and that she had not lost any money, she was advised to return to her normal activities prior to the suspect calling her.In another recent incident, a resident of Beatrice came to the sheriff’s office to report he had received a phone call at 11:32 a.m. on Thursday, September 7th, and the suspect had left an “automated” message stating it was the “County Dispatch Office” and they were looking for a person (a name was given, but that person did not live with the victim) because a signature was needed, otherwise “papers would be served.”The suspect instructed the victim to call a phone number. However, the victim immediately recognized this call had many elements of a scam, so he did not call them back and came to the sheriff’s office to report the incident for public awareness. He did not lose any money or provide any personal, financial, or confidential information to the suspects.According to the sheriff's office, “This is an increasingly common scam throughout the country. Law enforcement information is available on the Internet and with only a short check of the victim on the Internet, a mountebank can convince people they are in danger of being arrested.”The sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies will not call anyone and ask for money, in any form, in order to avoid being arrested. If you receive this type of phone call from someone claiming to be a deputy sheriff or police officer, hang up and call Southeast Communications at (402) 223-4080 and ask to be transferred to a deputy or an officer. You may also call the Gage County Sheriff’s Office at (402) 223-5222 or Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at (402) 729-2284 during business hours and ask to speak with a deputy or an investigator, who will help you determine if it is an attempted scam.Do not succumb to pressure or demands for monetary payment over the phone.

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