Press Release: Impersonation Scams

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office was made aware that scammers have resumed targeting area residents with impersonation calls. These scam callers are representing themselves, by name, as members of the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office. They are telling people they have a warrant and will be arrested if they do not make a payment. These scammers are using legitimate recognizable names of our deputies.

If you receive a call of this nature, terminate the call immediately and do not provide personal information. The longer you stay on the phone, the more opportunity they have to collect information. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office does not attempt to collect bail money over the phone, and we do not accept gift cards as a form of payment.

These scammers have also used a tactic known as “spoofing” where the caller ID is manipulated to display a different number. In previous impersonation scams, they have programmed the caller ID to display the Law Enforcement Center’s phone number. The LEC phone number does not display on caller ID as it is part of the county’s multi-line phone system.

-Chief Deputy Jarrett Walton