OHIO, USA — With several scams targeting area residents, local authorities in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio are issuing reminders to be vigilant and watch for warning signs.
In recent days, authorities have received reports of numerous phone scams, according to media releases and social media alerts from agencies in Bowling Green, Perrysburg and Monroe County.
The scams carry a common theme of suspects impersonating police officers to convince victims to part with money through a variety of means.
In one instance, authorities received reports of people receiving voicemails from someone pretending to be a Perrysburg police officer within a warrant and citation division. The caller tells the victim to call back with an urgent matter.
The division mentioned by the caller does not actually exist, officials said, and the scammer was able to con one victim out of hundreds of dollars. The scammer told the victim that they owed fines due to a missed subpoena to testify as an expert witness, which convinced the victim because they do work that aligns with such a situation.
The victim was told to pay the fines to avoid being arrested and to do so using Greendot Visa gift cards, which the scammer said was necessary because debit or credit card transactions could not be processed.
In Bowling Green, victims allegedly received calls from someone pretending to be a BGPD officer. The calls involved the scammer telling the victims that a family member was in custody and requested payment, typically through gift cards or online money transfers, for their release.
The scammers targeting Monroe County residents have done so by telephone and internet, also claiming to be law enforcement, court officials, government representatives or bank security professionals.
The scammers have used intimidation tactics to convince victims to cooperate, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said. Threats have included arrest, loss of their life savings or immediate payment for a debt or tax.
As in other scams, the victims are instructed to withdraw cash to purchase gift cards and then provide the numbers and security codes to the caller. The scammer will then hang up and immediately use the gift card for purchases.
"Unfortunately, many of these calls originate from outside the United States making it almost impossible for law enforcement to take any action," Monroe County authorities said in a public service announcement Wednesday.
No law enforcement agency will call citizens to demand money in any form, especially for fines or fees that would have consequences if left unpaid.
Similar phone scams have circulated throughout the area, in which callers fraudulently identify themselves as local authorities - sometimes even college campus police - and say an individual or their loved one needs to pay for some form of legal trouble.
The scammers are able to spoof the phone numbers of law enforcement to add legitimacy to the phone call.
The scammers may ask for the "fine" or "bail money" to be paid in gift cards or digital currency and may tell the target to not tell anyone about the call.
If you suspect you are being scammed, hang up and call police to report the phone call.
Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to a scam is also encouraged to report the crime to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at this link.
MORE FROM WTOL 11: