(The Center Square) – The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office wants the public to know that there’s a person, or persons, going around impersonating their officers trying to extort money from victims with threats of police action if not complied with.
“The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office continues to receive reports of scammers trying to intimidate, trick, and threaten potential victims into giving up their money as payment for several claimed crimes/reasons or demanding personal or banking information/identification, which leaves them vulnerable to ID Theft and a range of associated crimes or financial loss,” a Monday news flash on the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office website reads.
It warns that scammers are using the phone number 509-934-2797 and the names officer James Watson and Lt. Kevin Baxter while pretending to be law enforcement officers.
“They are attempting to use fear and intimidation to cause panic, hoping you make a mistake and don’t realize it is a scam,” the news flash says, warning the public to “be wary of answering phone calls from individuals claiming to be [either Officer James Watson and Lieutenant Kevin Baxter].”
If you receive one of these calls, or a voicemail with a call back number, the sheriff’s office advises hanging up immediately and to not call back any numbers provided on caller ID or in voicemail.
The sheriff’s officdd has included a recording of the scam call on their Facebook page for educational purposes.
Calls of this nature can be reported to the Spokane County Crime Check hotline, operated by Spokane Regional Emergency Communications, at 509-456-2233.
Alternative reporting methods on the federal level are through two agencies, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency webpage, and the the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, webpage.
“Don’t LOSE your money! STOP, THINK, and VERIFY! Law Enforcement, Courts, or any reputable business will NEVER call, threaten and demand immediate payment using specific unrecoverable transaction methods,” the news flash concludes, urging citizens to not allow feelings of fear or urgency to lead them into being scammed out of their hard-earned money.
