Platte County Sheriff warns of scam caller threatening people with arrest
The Platte County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a scam where someone is impersonating law enforcement, then asking for money.
“The fraudsters are calling from ‘unidentified’ or ‘blocked’ numbers and are telling individuals that they have an outstanding traffic warrant and need to make payment immediately or face arrest,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook Wednesday.
The caller then tells the person on the other end of the line to put money into a pre-paid card, such as a Greendot debit card, and take it to the sheriff’s office to pay at the office kiosk.
After that initial conversation, the scammer has been calling back to say the kiosk is out of order and that the person instead needs to give their card information over the phone, or else be arrested.
“The Platte County Sheriff’s Office does not contact people by phone to have them pay fines or to satisfy warrants,” the sheriff’s office cautioned.
Anyone who needs to reach the Platte County Sheriff’s Office is asked to call 816-858-2424 during business hours or 816-858-3521 after hours.
It is best practice never to give out personal information over the phone, especially if it’s not confirmed that the person on the other end is who they say they are.
