County agencies are warning residents to be vigilant as new variations of popular phone scams continue to be reported.
Scammers claim to be members of the court system or law enforcement and contact victims saying they missed reporting for jury duty in one scam, according to a news release from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.
Traditionally scammers request personal identifying information from victims to steal their identities, but in the new variation, the victims are told that they can pay a fee to avoid the arrest warrant, according to the release.
Victims are then told to put money on a Green Dot MoneyPak debit card, then provide that information to the scammers so that they can access the funds.
Victims report that scammers sound official and professional, according to police.
The Sheriff's Office does not request or accept money for arrest warrants and these callers should be reported, according to the release.
To learn about scheduled jury duty, citizens should call 410-386-2093 and press zero to reach the jury commissioner.
Another scam recently reported in Carroll involves callers claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service and informing victims that they owe back taxes and will either be arrested or have their homes taken if they do not pay money, said Senior Assistant State's Attorney Amy Blank Ocampo.
Ocampo said that her office received three phone calls in one day recently from concerned citizens who had been threatened by aggressive callers purporting to be with the IRS.
Ocampo said she was alarmed by the number of citizens she heard from in such a short period of time and worried that other residents were being approached as well.
"If three people call our office, there's probably 10 people or more for each of those three who don't know what to do about it," she said.
Ocampo said one of the callers demanded to speak to the victim's husband over the course of several days and would not share information with her. After finally speaking with the husband, the scammer said there was a warrant out for the man's arrest and he needed to pay money immediately.
Two other victims reported being told that they owed taxes and that the IRS was going to take their homes, cars and other property, Ocampo said.
All of the calls were made to home phone lines rather than cellphones, Ocampo said.
Victims are urged to report suspicious calls, and the IRS is warning citizens that it does not call people at home and threaten arrest, Ocampo said.
A third scam reported involves a caller claiming to be an attorney on behalf of a relative who has been arrested, according to the Sheriff's Office news release. The scammers say they can represent the relative and assist in their release from custody after a fee has been paid.
Police recommend that potential victims contact law enforcement to determine whether a family member is in custody and learn the correct steps to provide assistance. Residents should be suspicious of anyone requesting money through a phone call, text or email, according to the release, especially if the caller gives a limited time to comply.
If the caller claims to be from a specific agency or organization, police recommend attempting to get their name before hanging up and calling a trusted number for that agency to verify the authenticity of the call.
Reach staff writer Heather Cobun at 410-857-7898 or email heather.cobun@carrollcountytimes.com.
