Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Phone Scam

Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Phone Scam (Cook County, IL) — Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart is warning the public of a telephone scam where a caller identifying as a Sheriff’s Office employee tells victims they must pay a “collateral bond” for federal citations or risk going to jail.

The scammer tells victims that they missed a court date and has two options to remedy the situation. Either get an attorney and go through criminal proceedings and being held in jail or a go through a civil hearing through zoom and pay a $1,500 “collateral bond” for reach citation through a mobile banking app.

The name used by the caller matches the name of an actual Sheriff’s Office employee, and the phone number on caller ID appears to be that connected to Sheriff’s Office number so an Internet search of the name may make the call appear to be legitimate. The caller may also use legal or police jargon during the call to further intimidate the victims.

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The public should be aware that these types of calls are scams and should not send money or provide personal information to the caller. The Sheriff’s Office does not request payments in this manner, nor does the Office accept payment via money transfer apps.

Individuals who believe they have been a victim of this scam are asked to call the Sheriff’s Police Investigation Section at 708–865–4896 or the Sheriff’s Police non–emergency number at 847–635–1188.

Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Phone Scam