There have been a number of recent attempts to defraud Evansville area residents by an individual who claims to be a deputy sheriff. The fictitious deputy, who identifies himself as Deputy James Marshall, will place a phone call to a subject and advises them that there is a warrant out for their arrest for not showing for jury duty or some other type of incidental offense that has been issued by a Vanderburgh County Judge.
The scammer then tells his intended victim that they must go to a local retail store, purchase a “rechargeable†prepaid credit card, and then provide him with the card’s pin number so he can log that number onto the court record.
Three main points to remember are as follows:
- A true and valid arrest warrant can be verified by calling your local law enforcement agency, the county prosecutor’s office or the county clerk.
- Neither law enforcement agencies nor a county court will initiate a phone call directing anyone to purchase credit cards and then provide that card information to them in order to clear up any legal matter.
- If anyone is in doubt of the identity of a caller claiming to be a law enforcement officer or a court official they should request their name, badge or employee number, and a contact number to call. Then you can call that respective agency and confirm the information.
If anyone has knowledge about these crimes or the suspect’s identity, please call the Evansville Police Department at 436-7979, Financial Fraud Unit at 436-7991 or the WeTip line at 1-800-78-CRIME.
