COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) -The Branch County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents regarding an active telephone scam involving individuals impersonating law enforcement.
According to Sheriff Frederick Blankenship, scammers are contacting residents while posing as a department sergeant. To make the calls appear legitimate, the fraudsters are utilizing the actual names and badge numbers of real department personnel and leveraging technology to spoof the sheriff’s office phone number on caller ID systems.
During the calls, the impersonator demands immediate financial payments from the potential victims via Bitcoin.
Blankenship says that the Branch County Sheriff’s Office will never call residents to demand money or request payments over the telephone.
He clarified that the department does not accept payments through cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid cards.
Residents are urged to hang up immediately if they receive a suspicious call, withhold all personal and financial data, and never rely solely on caller ID details.
Anyone wishing to verify the legitimacy of a communication can contact the Branch County Sheriff’s Office directly at (517) 278-2325.
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