Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office issues warning about phone scam
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The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.
BONNEVILLE COUNTY — Over the past couple days the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office has taken reports of a phone scam where person(s) were identifying themselves as Bonneville County Deputies or Officers. The victims are told they have a warrant or have missed jury duty and are asked to get money cards from a store to pay a fine or make it go away.
The number the suspect uses, (208) 505-0293, does have an Idaho area code and when called has a voice message that says it is the “Bonneville County Sheriff’s Department”, but this number does not belong to our personnel and the person on the voice message is not affiliated in any way with our office. Keep in mind that once these scams have come to light in the media the numbers and voice messages change to something else.
We would like to remind everyone that the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, Bonneville County Courts, or any other Law Enforcement or Court entity DO NOT ask for money or payment over the phone to take care of fines, warrants, or other issues. Service of warrants, payment of fines, and other legal issues always happen at the courthouse or jail. The Sheriff’s Office, Police Department, Dispatch, and other public entities do contact people about various issues or investigations, but there is NEVER a reason for them to collect money for fines, to take care of warrants, or avoid jail time, ESPECIALLY via a money card, green dot card, itunes card, or other similar means.
If you have been a victim of this type of scam and lost money, please report it to your local law enforcement for investigation. If you are suspicious of someone calling and identifying themselves as Law Enforcement, look up the number to your local dispatch and confirm that an officer is attempting to contact you.