Beware of this phone scam impersonating law enforcement

IDAHO FALLS — If you receive a call from a local sheriff’s office saying you need to pay a fine or you will get jail time — hang up the phone.

That’s the latest message from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office. The office is warning residents to beware of a phone scam where scammers impersonate local law enforcement.

This is one of the most common phone scams, according to a news release from the office. Oftentimes, a scammer will mask their number as a real sheriff’s office or non-emergency number and use the names of active deputies or police officers.

They will say you have a warrant for your arrest, you owe a fine, or you missed jury duty or a court appearance.

The scammers then offer a solution to avoid arrest or jail time by paying a fine over the phone. They will often say a credit card was declined, so they direct victims to purchase gift cards and call them back with the card numbers and information.

If you actually owe a fine to the courts or you have an active warrant for arrest, law enforcement or the courts will never call to ask for money over the phone.

If you have lost money or property from a scam, always report the incident to your local law enforcement so it can be investigated. Check your financial accounts, update passwords, and enable security verifications for your online accounts to make sure your information is as safe as possible.

If you feel the person contacting you is part of a scam, hang up and report it to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 529-1200.