Will County Sheriff's Office Caller ID Stolen

Telephone grifters have appropriated the Will County Sheriff’s Office caller ID and are using it to scam local residents.

“It has come to the attention of the Will County Sheriff’s Office that some residents have received phone calls who they believe are from the Will County Sheriff’s Office, which appears as such on their caller ID,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement released Tuesday.

“The caller identifies himself as a detective and states that a warrant has been issued for their arrest from the Internal Revenue Service,” the statement said. “The caller then gives the resident a different phone number to call who will inform them of how much money they need to send to a specified address in order to clear up the arrest warrant.”

The sheriff’s office said this scam is “commonly known as caller ID spoofing,” and entails the display of a different phone number than where the call has actually been placed.

“The sheriff’s office is warning the public that this is a scam and that the sheriff’s office does not call residents regarding warrants or being potentially arrested,” the statement said. “The sheriff’s office also does not call residents asking for money or payments of any kind.”

Anyone victimized by this scam is urged to contact the real sheriff’s office at 815-727-8575.