Ramsey County officials issue warning about phone scam
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office received about a dozen reports on Thursday from people who received phone calls from someone claiming to be a Ramsey County Deputy asking for money.
The scam involves a phone call in which the caller pretends to be a deputy sheriff who says money needs to be paid to avoid jail time for an outstanding warrant.
A similar scam popped up last year in Minnesota, according to Sgt. John Eastham, Ramsey County public information officer. Last year, people around Minnesota reported receiving scam calls on the department's Facebook page, but the department was unable to figure out who was behind it.
Law enforcement officers do not call citizens with or without a warrant and make a request for money. Anyone who receives a phone call should hang up and report the call to a local law enforcement agency. The calls are fraudulent, Eastham said.
"The more people that know [about the scam], the less [the scammers] will be able to take advantage of them," Eastham said.
Eastham said that warrants are only mailed and posted online. Warrant information is available on the department's website.
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