Sheriff: Beware Phone Calls Threatening Arrest, Demanding Cash

(STMW) -- Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is warning the public about phone scammers posing as sheriff's employees and trying to solicit money from victims.

Someone identifying himself as a sheriff's employee has been calling people throughout the county and telling them that they have a warrant and must pay to clear it or face arrest, according to a statement from Dart's office.

The caller tells victims that they must make payments via pre-paid debit cards or a wire service and implies that an arrest is imminent, the sheriff's office said.

According to the statement, the sheriff's office does not notify people with active warrants over the phone and "no legitimate agency will request callers to make payments only via pre-paid debit cards."

Anybody who has been a victim of the scam or who has any information about the scammer is asked to contact the sheriff's office at (708) 865-4896.

 (Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)