McHenry Co. Sheriff's Office Warns of Spoof Phone Calls

Submission by the McHenry County Sheriff's Office

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of spoof phone calls that have been reported involving a caller who identifies himself as a dispatcher.

The victim reported that they had a missed cell phone call that displayed the exact same phone number as the McHenry County Sheriff's non-emergency phone number: (815)338-2144. A voicemail was left from a subject who identified himself as a sheriff's office dispatcher named "Chris Lowery."

The message informed the victim that she "has a matter that she needs to take care of and provides her with another phone number and a name of a subject she needs to contact to avoid being arrested on a warrant that will be issued for her."

The sheriff's office is reminding residents that police agencies do not call residents and ask for payment to avoid prosecution. If you receive a phone call from a government or police agency asking for money or requesting something from you: first stop and think to yourself, have I committed any criminal acts or is there a reason for them to be calling me?

Technology allows for scammers to register a phone number via the internet to make it look like someone else is calling them, this is called “spoofing."

If you receive phone call or a message from a Deputy or Detective from the Sheriff’s Office, one should always call our non-emergency line and verify that the person making the call is employed by our department. If you do not know the phone number to the agency that is supposedly calling you, use your phone book or the Internet to locate the number. Do not use the number provided by the caller.

The spoof phone calls is the first reported time that this scam has occurred using the department’s information, but the sheriff's office has received reports in the past of scammers using other agencies information in an attempt to scam others.

Scammer’s techniques are always changing. To help educate the community, the Sheriff's Office provides educational opportunities on current trends. Our next scam presentation is on Friday, May 20, at 11:30 a.m. at Senior Services in Crystal Lake. You can call Claudia at Senior Services to RSVP at (815) 356-7457.

More information on the spoofing scam can be found at: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/articles/202654304-Spoofing-and-Caller-ID.