An unsolicited caller rings up an unsuspecting person, purporting to be a representative of some “official” entity and demands personal financial information, or else something bad is going to happen to the person.
It’s a scenario all too familiar to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
“We caution our residents all of the time about being wary when an unsolicited or unfamiliar caller spins some incredible tale, threatens some unfavorable outcome that can only be solved when the resident immediately provides their private financial information,” Bouchard said. “These callers can be incredibly convincing, but these scams never pass the smell test.”
The latest version occurred earlier this month when a 48-year-old Pontiac woman took a call from a person who claimed to be from the “Federal Reserve System,” accused her of being involved in drug trafficking from Colombia and said the sheriff would be at her home in 45 minutes unless she provided certain information.
The male caller wanted the woman’s address, the name of her bank, the amount of money she had in her account, credit card number and the last four digits of her social security number. He provided a series of numbers he claimed to be his identification numbers.
Coincidentally, the name he gave her was remarkably close to that of a sergeant who works in the Sheriff’s Office. The woman provided the name of her bank, said she had no credit card and had no money in her account. She later said she gave the information because she was concerned the sheriff might show up.
The man ended the call, saying that he would be in touch with her again.
Bouchard applauded the woman for reporting the ruse shortly after her call finished.
“She did the right thing by calling us right away,” Bouchard said. “In many cases, we don’t learn about the scam until it’s too late and money has already been lost. No legitimate government entity will demand your personal financial information over the phone or demand any kind of immediate payment.That is when you hang up and call your local police.”