Fake Essex County Sheriff's Deputy Demanding Payment In Scam

DANVERS, MA — North Shore residents are being warned about the latest scam in which a caller purports to be a member of law enforcement demanding restitution for a crime.

The Essex County Sheriff's Office said it has received reports of a scammer posing as an Essex Sheriff's deputy "working the phones, calling people, demanding payment."

"The Essex County Sheriff's Department will never call you asking for money," the Essex Sheriff's Office said.

The scam has become a familiar one in recent years and typically involves an unsolicited phone call — often around dinnertime — telling the recipient that a warrant has been issued for that person's arrest if they do not immediately settle a debt or pay restitution for a crime.

Even if the person called is not aware of the crime — which is frequently also fabricated — experts say they can be convinced to make the payment out of confusion or simply as an attempt to make the issue go away.

Beverly Community Impact Supervisor Daniel Brown recently spoke to the Beverly City Council about that scam and other common scams on the North Shore — and why they are claiming so many area victims.

Brown said that while spotting a scam may seem easy to many, con artists and grifters are becoming increasingly sophisticated and prey on the very emotions that cloud a person's judgment.

"These are professionals," he told the City Council. "This is what they do full-time. They rip people off and they're good at it. They've gotten better at it with social media."

Brown said, unfortunately, those perpetrating the ruses are rarely caught or face consequences.

"Few and far between because the resources aren't there," he said, noting that it's not viable to track down a scammer in another state and bring the person to Massachusetts for prosecution over a few hundred or couple of thousand dollars. "They know this too. That's why they do it.

"They are anonymous and there is little chance of getting caught."

Beverly Police Chief John LeLacheur said scams become even more common during the holiday season.

"Nobody is ever going to call you from the Beverly Police Department and tell you there is a warrant out for your arrest," he said. "The IRS doesn't do that. Banks do not call you and ask you to give them your financial information — they already have that.

"And no one is ever, ever, ever going to ask you to pay anything (legitimate) with a gift card. So if someone tells you to go to the grocery store and buy $400 worth of gift cards to pay your utility bill, don't do it."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)