With upwards of $100,000 stolen this year alone, authorities are urging residents to stay alert and report suspicious calls.
IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — This holiday season comes with a timely warning from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office. The agency says phone call impostors are masquerading as law enforcement, and if you’re not careful, you could be their next target.
The department is seeing an uptick of scams with someone posing as a law enforcement officer trying to deceive people of their money. Unfortunately, the agency said plenty of money has been stolen from people so far this year.
It’s a scam designed to trick you with fear and urgency over the phone.
“It really makes you think of who you can trust and what information you’re getting is accurate,” said Thomas Tuck of Statesville.
“I just think it is horrible — what better things could you be doing with your life rather than robbing people,” said Emma Franklin of the town of Harmony.
So how does it work? It starts with a ring and then a ruse. You think it’s a sheriff’s deputy or police officer on the line but instead, it’s a poser claiming you’re in some sort of legal trouble.
“[The scammers claim] that they have a warrant for their arrest or missed jury duty or something along those lines,” said Major Troy Miller with the sheriff’s office.
He said fraudsters are finding creative ways to get your money. Eventually, the scammer tells their victim they need to pay up, sometimes it’s in unconventional ways to resolve the issue.
“In order to take care of this they either have to buy gift cards or go deposit money in Bitcoin machines and transfer the money to cryptocurrency,” he said, “and they tell them that takes care of their warrant or jury duty they missed.”
But it’s a scam and once the money is sent it’s pretty much gone.
“A lot of these scammers are using what we call ‘spoof phones’ that can’t be traced,” said Miller. “A lot of times these people are not even in the country.”
Catherine Bailey, who lives in Iredell County, said someone called posing as a Mecklenburg County lieutenant.
“It bothers me a great deal that there are people out there who are predators,” said Bailey, who got a call telling her she was facing legal trouble. “A jury duty summons had been sent to me, that I had not responded and did not appear so there was a warrant for my arrest.”
She said the man sounded official.
“The man on the phone wanted $4,500 in cash, knew my name, knew my address, knew a grocery store near me, told me I could go to a kiosk and remove $4,500,” said Bailey, who was skeptical. “He was very convincing. We stayed on the phone for about an hour.”
It’s a phone scam making its rounds in Iredell County.
“Just from this year, 2024, we are probably upwards of $100,000 we have seen people get scammed out of,” said Miller.
The agency wants people to be on alert because once the money is sent, it’s pretty much gone.
Bailey said she sensed something was not right and checked with police and made sure her bank account was secure to ultimately learn it was all a scam.
“It bothers me that there are people that will prey on vulnerable people, vulnerable people, and that they are so believable,” said Bailey. “I wish there was more that we could do in order to prevent this.”
Although she did not lose any money, the incident still left her uneasy. She was concerned for her safety because the scammer knew so much about her, including where she lived.
“I was alone with my service dog, I felt it prudent to walk in the event I had been followed,” Bailey said after reporting the incident to police in Charlotte. “I walked about 10 miles in downtown Charlotte, which I’m not terribly familiar with any longer, but in the process, I ducked in and out of restaurants, in and out of like bail bondsman’s offices, hotel lobbies, and just to make sure that if I was being followed, that I could assess the situation and protect myself if necessary.”
The entire incident was unsettling.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office reminds citiznes that law enforcement will never call you to demand payment over the phone. Miller said not to, under any circumstances, give your personal or financial information over the phone. If you get one of these calls, don’t panic. Write down the information the caller gives you, like their name and phone number, and get that to the police.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
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Emotional appeal – Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment.
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Sense of urgency – You MUST act now, or else.
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Request for unorthodox payment – Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.
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Explanations that don’t ring true – If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it.
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You won, now pay up – It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever.
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Too good to be true – That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real.
