Middlesex Sheriff Warns Of Scam Targeting Medical Professionals

BILLERICA, MA — The Middlesex Sheriff's Office (MSO) this week warned residents —specifically medical professionals — about an ongoing scam involving a caller claiming to be an employee of the MSO.

According to the MSO, there have been three different reports of the scam, though none has resulted in the loss of any money.

In each instance, the caller, who said they were with the MSO, told the medical professional that they had failed to appear as an expert witness in court matters and were being penalized as a result.

According to one report, the scammer told the medical professional that they had to pay $10,000 in fines and fees

"Often these arrest scams revolve around a failure to appear for jury duty or pay taxes, but these calls are the first reported directly to the MSO involving a failure to appear as an expert witness," Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian said.

Koutoujian continued: "For any professional whose career may be harmed — or license potentially impacted — for failure to comply with a court order, this type of call can be particularly frightening. We want people to know this is a scam and no member of law enforcement will ever threaten arrest or demand a fine be paid over the phone like this."

Koutoujian said similar expert witness scams have been reported previously in other parts of the country.

The MSO is asking anyone who believes they have been targeted as part of an expert witness scam to contact local law enforcement immediately.

More information about other law enforcement impersonation and arrest scams is available on the MSO website.