The Clinton County Sheriff's Office is warning residents not to be taken in by a recent telephone scam. Sheriff Rick Lincoln says over the weekend, three people received calls they thought were suspicious.
He says a man claims to be a deputy, gives a badge number, and demands partial payment for a $450 ticket from an automated "red light" camera in Clinton. He instructs the person to go buy a Green Dot Moneypak card, load it with the money, and call back. Lincoln says one person was even threatened with arrest if he or she didn't pay within two hours. And that's illegal.
The sheriff says several red flags should alert residents that the calls are not legitimate. First, Clinton County doesn't have any automated traffic cameras, and officers do not go to people's homes to collect fines or threaten them with arrest.
In a previous scam, Sheriff Lincoln says a young woman received a similar phone call about paying off a debt. She gave the caller's number to the sheriff who dialed it.
Lincoln says any time someone calls and something doesn't seem quite right, tell the police. Be sure to ask the name of the agency, company, or group and verify it. He says scammers have become sophisicated and use technology to fool caller ID into displaying "IRS" or your utility fraudulently.
Clinton County's "Seniors vs. Crime" program helps residents and teaches people how to avoid scams like this one.