MENDOCINO Co., 4/22/19 — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a phone scam in which people are falsely told that there is a warrant out for their arrest in an effort to trick them into delivering cash.
At least two people have reported receiving calls on April 19, in which the caller falsely identified himself as Lt. Mason of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. The scammer then instructed the recipients of the call to bring cash to the courthouse regarding a supposed warrant.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office does not “handle the service of arrest warrants in this manner,” the press release explains, and the public is asked to report any such calls they might receive to their local law enforcement agencies.
Here’s all the details in the full press release:
DATE: “April 22, 2019”
MCSO press release from April 22, 2019.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Incident Number:
2019
Crime/Incident:
Public Announcement – Phone Scam
Location:
Mendocino County
Date of Incident:
04-19-2019
Time:
12:00 PM
Victim(s):
N/A
Suspect(s):
N/A
Written By:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184
Synopsis:
On 04-19-2019 a Deputy Sheriff with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was working court security at the Mendocino County Courthouse in Ukiah, California.
The Deputy Sheriff was contacted by an adult female who reported that she had received a phone call earlier in the day from a person who identified themselves as being Lieutenant Mason with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. The adult female was told she had a warrant for her arrest and that she needed to obtain a cash card and drop it off at location (later to be provided) or that she would be arrested.
On this same day, a Willits resident contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report having received a similar phone call. Again the caller identified themselves as being Lieutenant Mason from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and notified the resident of an active warrant. The resident was given instructions to purchase a cash card and to deliver it to the courthouse or be arrested.
This is an obvious phone scam with no legitimate law enforcement purpose or participation.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office does not handle the service of arrest warrants in this manner and members of the public are asked to disregard any such phone calls.
The public is urged to contact their local law enforcement agency directly during situations of this nature instead of providing any such payment as instructed during the phone call.
Approved by:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184