Avon police say scammers posing as law enforcement cost a woman $16,000

AVON, Ind. (WISH) – A woman was tricked into paying $16,000 to scammers posing as law enforcement over the phone, according to the Avon Police Department. 

There’s an ongoing phone scam targeting locals, the department warned on social media, involving callers posing as police or as an official from Hendricks County Courts. 

Police say these scam callers will tell the person who answers there’s a warrant for their arrest because of missed jury duty. The caller will then offer to clear the warrant if a hefty fine is paid over the phone. 

Avon Police said one known victim was asked to pay $25,000, and ended up handing over $16,000 to scammers before contacting authorities. 

“The Hendricks County Court and local law enforcement will NEVER call you to demand payment of a fine or to threaten arrest over the phone for missed jury duty,” Avon Police posted on Facebook. “Legitimate jury duty summonses and notifications are sent strictly through the U.S. Mail, not via phone calls or emails.”

Similar scams have become increasingly common, and increasingly intricate. 

These scams often involve “spoofed” phone numbers to make calls appear to come from government offices. In December, the Read Entire Article