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Dyer warns Washtenaw County residents of Sheriff's Office impersonation scam

Front doors of the Washtenaw County's Sheriff's Office.
Kevin Meerschaert
/
89.1 WEMU
Front doors of the Washtenaw County's Sheriff's Office.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a scam involving people claiming to be Sheriff’s Office employees.

The scammers use phone calls, texts and emails to attempt to extort money from people. They threaten them or loved ones with incarceration, arrest, or other penalties if they don’t comply.

Sheriff Alyshia Dyer says actual employees would never ask for any money, gift cards or financial compensation.

“We are never going to extort the public or threaten them and say if they don’t pay us, they are going to go to jail. We don’t do that. And if there is any urgency attached to a phone call asking someone to give them money, it’s probably a scam as well.”

The scammers are getting more creative and daring. Commander Eugene Rush says someone impersonating him met a victim in the parking lot of the county complex and extorted money.

Dyer says if you suspect a scam, call the sheriff’s dispatch line.

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News Reporter and Host Kevin Meerschaert was a student reporter at WEMU in the early 90s. After another 30 years in the public radio business and stops in Indiana, Maryland, Florida, and New Mexico, Kevin is back to where it all began.
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