Scammers 'Spoofing' Lake County Residents' Caller IDs

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Libertyville Police Department said they've received recent reports of someone calling residents and claiming to be a representative from the Lake County Sheriff's office. During the call, the scammer is reportedly telling the resident there's a warrant for their arrest, and waits for the resident to verify personal information. According to the police department, the caller also requested the resident bring cash to a designated location.

If you receive a phone call that seems suspicious, police urge you to hang up, adding that the sheriff's office will never call someone asking for payment over the phone, and will never request payment in the form of a gift card.

In addition, police ask residents to please be of these aware of potential scams impersonating government officials. Other departments have received reports of someone claiming to be from the Social Security office, calling and telling the victim their Social Security number had been stolen.

The scammer than transferred the victim to whom they claimed was a "police investigator," and that person instructed the victim to empty their bank account and begin buying gift cards because their "accounts were about to be frozen, according to police.

Spoofed phone numbers were used to call the victim, and one of the spoofed numbers used was the non-emergency line to the police department, police said, who added that spoofing entails making any name or number show up on caller ID, tricking you into thinking it may be a legitimate call. Police urge residents to hang up when in doubt and to please be extremely careful when it comes to caller ID.

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