Sophisticated phone scam spoofs targeting the community
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — It’s become a common tale for law enforcement officers, but scams involving anything from jury duty to bail bond and even grandparent schemes are on the rise locally.
The St. Joseph Police Department and Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office are facing recurring scams from individuals attempting to victimize citizens.
Many scams have been reported throughout St. Joseph since the start of the year, resulting in hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars lost from residents.
“It’s a very easy tool for these scammers to leverage people and to pry them out of some of their hard-earned money and savings,” said Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett.
New Federal Trade Commission data reveals a record-breaking $12.5 billion lost to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from the previous year.
Scammers may falsely identify themselves as officials such as police officers, deputy sheriffs or special agents, calling about a warrant for arrest for an unpaid fine or failure to appear for jury duty. The scammer then requests immediate action or you will be arrested.
The grandparent scam is also becoming a common one where individuals pose as family members in danger and persuade elderly victims to pay a high amount to “help” a loved one.
“Older generations were taught to respect positions of authority and they have a different mindset when they’re being told to do something,” Puett said. “They didn’t come up with the type of technology many people are using now so it’s difficult for them to tell whether something is a scam or not.”
The St. Joseph Police Department recently fell victim to a scam where fraudsters are imitating, also known as “spoofing,” its non-emergency number to deceive victims.
However, residents are warned that these individuals are taking advantage of officers’ authority. They advise actual law enforcement officers will never call to demand immediate payment for fines or warrants, no matter how convincing scam callers can be.
“People are going to trust your local police agencies,” said Sgt. Jeremy Peters with the St. Joseph Police Department. “And if they can do some research online and come up with one of our names and spoof a phone number to make it look like it came from our department, people are generally going to trust it at face value. We will never ask for a direct payment through the phone.”
No reputable business will ask for gift cards or Bitcoin or to meet you in public to pay in cash, officials said.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call should avoid providing personal information or payment and contact the law enforcement agency directly for validation.
