A member of the Washu community – let’s call him J.G. – received a voicemail from a person claiming to be Lt. Diaz from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s office. When J.G. returned the call from his personal phone, it appeared that he was dialing the Sheriff’s office. No one picked up, so he left a message.
Later in the evening, a Sgt. Johnson called. The number appeared to be from the sheriff’s office.
“You were supposed to be an expert, unbiased witness in a federal trial today. You signed for a letter mailed to your house from the courts on April 14 agreeing that you would serve as an expert witness.”
Then, the Sargent said J.G.’s date of birth and address.
“And because you missed the court appearance, the judge signed a bench warrant and a contempt of court order.”
They wanted J.G. to come to the Clayton office and sign his name for a handwriting analysis, to identify whether he signed the letter they mailed.
As J.G. arrived at the sheriff’s office, the caller said J.G. would need to a pay the bail – $2,000 using Apple Pay – before he could enter the building. Otherwise, they threatened arrest and processing. As if that weren’t enough, they said he could be held overnight because it was after 5 pm.
That’s when J.G. realized it was a scam, hung up, and went home. They called back numerous times, but he never picked up.
Fortunately for J.G., he caught on before he lost any money. He’s not the only one at WashU who has been called by a sheriff impersonator. Genuine law enforcement may call you if you have a warrant, but an officer will never ask for payment. Here is a list of suspicious activity to look for in this kind of scam:
- Saying you have fines for outstanding warrants.
- Saying the court is holding you in contempt for failure to appear.
- Saying you are not allowed to speak with anyone else regarding the matter.
- Demanding you remain on the line until the “bond” is paid.
- Requesting gift cards, bank deposits, Apple Pay, and voucher purchases to clear court fines or avoid jail time.
- Requesting videos or pictures of yourself to clear court fines or avoid jail time.
As was the case for J.G., the scammers spoofed their phone number on caller ID to make the call seem authentic. Anyone receiving a call from someone claiming to be law enforcement should hang up and call the office they claim to be from. If you are with the medical school, call WashU Protective Services at 314-362-4357 and report it to their investigations department. If you are with the Danforth campus, instead call WUPD at 314-935-5555.
Never give out any sensitive info over the phone, and report the scam to the FBI at Internet Crime Complaint Center(IC3) | File a Complaint. The Federal Trade Commission will also provide recovery steps, share information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies, and take your report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Any victims who disclosed personally identifiable information, like a social security number, can report the identity theft at www.identitytheft.gov and get a recovery plan.
Additional Resources
Phishing | Office of Information Security | Washington University in St. Louis
Phishing 101 | Office of Information Security | Washington University in St. Louis
Protect Yourself from Social Engineering