People pose as police in Chicago suburb, providing fake badge numbers in new scam, officials warn

A suburban sheriff’s office issued a stark warning to residents Thursday, asking them to beware of scammers calling and pretending to be officers while demanding money.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office posted the scam warning to Facebook Thursday, saying the callers impersonate local law enforcement, even providing what seems like official identification.

“There’s a current phone scam that has targeted a few Will County residents where the caller is pretending to be a member of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and even provided a badge number,” the sheriff’s office said. “The scam caller tells the victims that a loved one is in custody, or they themselves failed to appear in court or missed jury duty.”

The sheriff’s office went on to say the scammers tells victims to download an app to send money through with a reusable gift card, or make Bitcoin deposits for bond or administrative fees.

“This is in no way how the Will County Sheriff’s Office operates,” the warning said. “We will never ask you for funds over the phone like this or ask you to use a gift card or Bitcoin for payment.”

The warning comes as other suburban police departments and the Illinois Secretary of State say scammers have become more sophisticated in their tactics.

Earlier this week, the Vernon Hills Police Department warned of an official-looking “hearing notice” being as text messages to phones in the area. Similar notices wound up in residents mailboxes, Cook County officials said.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias in March warned that “scammers have recently escalated their tactics” with texts that look even more official with fake fines and regulations, deadlines or penalty dates.

“Many of the texts cite an upcoming enforcement date and list severe consequences to pressure recipients into acting quickly,” a press release from Giannoulias’ office said at the time. “These schemes are designed to create panic and trick individuals into surrendering money or personal information.”

In Will County, officials asked residents to call their local police departments if they think they’d been scammed.

“Stay vigilant,” the sheriff’s office said.