Massachusetts sheriff warning public after residents scammed out of thousands of dollars

A sheriff in Massachusetts is warning the public after residents were scammed out of thousands of dollars.

At least two people fell victim on Monday to scammers who are pretending to be with the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office. The total money reported lost was $6,700.

The NCSO issued the following giving instructions on what you should do and not do to avoid being scammed.

“Just hang up on anyone who’s demanding money and acting like they are from our office, or another law enforcement agency, threatening you with arrest or detainment for things like missed jury duty or an outstanding warrant.”

The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office never makes calls like this, and neither do local police departments.

Here’s the background on these latest cases:

Monday’s Case #1: A woman from Sharon arrived at our facility on Monday afternoon with receipts from a Bitcoin kiosk totaling $5,250. She told our officer she was there to clear up an issue about missing jury duty after transferring the money as demanded. What we learned is that someone acting like they worked for the sheriff’s office had left her a voicemail about the “missed jury duty,” and when she returned the call, the voicemail on the other end indicated it was connected to the sheriff’s office. That triggered a series of phone conversations with the scammer, which led the woman to the bitcoin kiosk to transfer the money. When the woman told the man on the other end that there was a sign on the machine warning users of such scams, she was told that if she refused, she would be detained for 10-12 days. She then transferred the money under duress.

Monday’s case #2: A woman from Dedham came into our lobby about 90 minutes later, stating she believed she may have been the victim of a scam. Sadly, she too was correct. Someone claiming to be a “lieutenant” with the sheriff’s office told her there was a warrant out for her for missing jury duty and that if she did not pay it immediately, she would be arrested and detained for 72 hours. This scammer sent the victim a fraudulent court document to back up his claims, along with instructions on how to pay the “bond” via Bitcoin kiosk at a store in Roslindale. The victim went to the store and transferred $1,450.

Both of these victims have been asked to file reports with their local police departments as well.

The NCSO issued closing comments.

“Once again, please remember this: The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office and local police never make calls like this. Just hang up. If they call back. Hang up again and report the calls to your police department. You may be caught off guard and unwittingly fall victim. Just hang up.

“Please share this information with someone you know who might be vulnerable to calls like this. Thank you.”