CEDAR CITY — The public is being asked to remain vigilant when answering their phones, especially if the caller demands financial information.
Iron County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dave Mitchell issued a public plea Friday for awareness as Iron County residents are reporting high numbers of scam phone calls.
“Iron County is experiencing a significant increase in fraud-related incidents involving male individuals impersonating law enforcement officers from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office,” Mitchell said. “This is not just a problem but a serious impact on our community that we all need to address.”
Reports of a man calling citizens and demanding payment for outstanding warrants, citations, fail-to-appear summonses, fail-to-appear for jury selection and many other violations, have taken place recently. Mitchell said citizens are being instructed to make payments at ATM/Bitcoin kiosks in grocery stores and local banks using gift cards or transfer businesses, including Bitcoin.
“I am urging you to alert our citizens that we are actively working to identify this person and are taking
every possible measure to protect them.,” Mitchell said in the press release. “Unfortunately, we have received reports of citizens falling victim to this law enforcement impersonator.”
Mitchell said no law enforcement agency in the state of Utah would ever call a person by phone and ask them to make payments, buy gift cards or transfer funds for any court-related matter.
Another way to increase community awareness is to speak to elderly neighbors and relatives and be sure they do not fall prey to recent scams.
For those in Iron County and surrounding communities receiving a call from a law enforcement officer demanding a payment, Mitchell said the best response is to hang up and call Iron County dispatch at 435-586-9445 to file a report.
“It is vital to spread the word that this is a scam,” Mitchell said. “We encourage citizens to be vigilant and to ask to speak with one of our deputies in person if they receive suspicious phone calls. This will empower them to avoid the tragic mistake of sending money to an imposter.”