photo by: AdobeStock photo

A cell phone with a phishing alert is shown in this AdobeStock photo

Douglas County residents have been reporting a variety of scams to law enforcement where the scammers have been using those same law enforcement agencies as pawns to try to swindle money from people.

On Thursday, the Lawrence Police Department warned the public on social media that residents had received calls from officers in the department who were asking residents for money for various reasons. The scammers used Lawrence police officers’ real names when making requests for money.

The department advised that it never calls residents asking for money over the phone regarding legal matters. If residents do receive a call that seems suspicious or from an officer requesting money, the department asks residents to write down the caller ID if possible and to call Douglas County dispatch at 785-843-0250 and report the call. The department emphasized that people scheduled never send money.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has also been sounding the alarm regarding scams all month some that also have been using the names of real Douglas County deputies. One such scam targets people who are on the Kansas Offender Registry for violent, drug, and sexual offenders, according to a post on social media

The scam is similar to the police department scam, where residents receive a phone call from a deputy threatening to arrest residents claiming that those residents have failed to fulfill their offender registration requirements and a warrant has been issued. The scammers demand money in lieu of arrest.

Another telephone scam that continues to circulate targets residents using deputies’ names who claim to be working on behalf of the court informing people that they have missed jury duty and face a fine or may be arrested, as the Journal-World previously reported.

Scammers first get as much personal information from a victim as possible before asking them to purchase a gift card or to give up their credit card information. Residents who believe they may have missed jury duty should call the Douglas County Jury Coordinator directly at 785-832-5213.

Scammers are also using mail and email to target residents claiming to be from the federal government. The sheriff’s office shared a document a resident received that appeared to be a federally issued document alleging that the person missed federal jury duty however, at the bottom of the document the scammers demanded money to be paid through online money transfer methods like Zelle or Apple pay.

One Douglas County resident fell victim to this type of scam recently and paid $1,000 before realizing what was happening, said George Diepenbrock, spokesperson for the office. He said that many of these scams are being conducted by people outside of the U.S. which makes recovering any money lost much more difficult.

“They are set up to prey on people’s good nature, especially at fulfilling their civic duties, like jury duty. If you are not as familiar with the legal system, it can rattle you and you likely are willing to do anything to make things right in that moment,” Diepenbrock said.

Additional scams the office has warned the public about include package scams and unsolicited messages. The package scam usually starts when a resident receives a text message or phone call asking for personal information related to the delivery of a package.

The unsolicited messages can have more dire consequences because the scammer, after collecting personal information and learning more about the victim, the scammer will try to get the victim to send a private photo of themselves to the scammer to then extort the victim for money in exchange for keeping the photo private.

Beyond calling local law enforcement, Diepenbrock said that victims can make a report through the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.

“Most importantly if someone in law enforcement is pressuring you to pay a sum of money immediately to resolve a legal problem, that is the most important clue that it is a scam. It’s OK to be blunt and firm with them to say you will hang up and call the agency directly to verify that the law enforcement contact is legitimate,” Diepenbrock said.