There seems to be a rise in rip-offs targeting Lawrence and Douglas County residents as three local agencies issued phone scam alerts Monday evening.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Lawrence Police Department are warning about an apparent scheme to steal Social Security numbers and cash from area residents. Someone not affiliated with the agencies is allegedly calling citizens under the guise of “Sheriff Marshall” with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Our sheriff’s name is Ken McGovern, in case anyone was wondering.

“Sheriff Marshall” is allegedly telling people that he has a “grand jury warrant” for their arrest or — get this — a warrant for their arrest for “missing jury duty.” He then purportedly says they can “take care” of this warrant by going online to make a payment, according to the LPD and sheriff’s office.

The faux sheriff has reportedly told victims to purchase a pre-paid card or to use a credit card to pay to make the warrant go away. He also allegedly asks for personal information such as Social Security numbers, which should always raise one’s suspicions.

This is a scam. Don’t fall for it.

Area law enforcement agencies “will never call you to ask for payments for warrants over the phone,” the sheriff’s office said. That’s because warrants are dealt with either in the courtroom or at the jail.

Law enforcement agencies will also never call and ask for a credit card number, bank account information,
Social Security number or other personal information over the phone, the sheriff’s office said.

“The only time law enforcement agencies in this area will ask for some of your personal information over the phone, like name, date of birth, address, etc., is if YOU have initiated a call to us for a report,” the sheriff’s office said.

If you think you may have been victimized in this scam and sent money to “Sheriff Marshall,” don’t be embarrassed. It’s unfortunately common for folks to fall prey to these scams. Instead, call law enforcement to file a report.

You can call non-emergency dispatch at (785) 843-0250, the (real) sheriff’s office at (785) 841-0007 or Lawrence police at (785) 832-7501. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Division at (800) 432-2310 will also investigate reports of scams.
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Also on Monday, the city announced that it has received complaints that some Lawrence residents received calls from a person identifying him or herself as the “Lawrence Utilities Department,” then asking for personal checking account information.

This is also a scam.

The city said their Utility Billing Department representatives “will never ask you for your checking account information over the phone.”

If you receive a call that sounds similar to this, do not give the person your information. Hang up immediately, then call police dispatch at (785) 832-7509 to report the scam.