*SCAM ALERT NOTICE*
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of two different scams making the rounds around Sioux County.
-On this scam the person received a call from someone claiming to be with the Spirit Lake Police Department. The caller stated that the person on the phone had a warrant for their arrest because they did not show up for jury duty. “For a mere $5,000.00, they could get that warrant recalled.” The person called the Spirit Lake Police to ask if they had received any calls reporting this activity. Spirit Lake PD reported they had taken similar calls. One of the reporting parties said that the scammer even knew some of their personal information, such as address and family member names. While most people would be able to find that information through internet search, elderly citizens may fall victim to this type of scam.
-On the second scam the person received a fictitious e-mail from the Security Administration informing them that their “SSN has been terminated;” there was also an attached PDF to the message. In this scam, if the recipient clicks on links in the message, they will be prompted to entered personal banking information. This has been reported to the Social Security Administration, who were already aware of it. The e-mail looked “official” enough that we would suspect the scammers could be successful.
If you receive scam calls or emails like these, please don’t give out any information. Contact the Sioux County Public Safety Center Communications Center at 712-737-3307 and an officer will be happy to help you determine the validity the situation.