PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Birmingham resident Kelsey Hogan said that she always thought of phone scams as something people less up to date with technology fall for, that is, until she got a voicemail Monday from a caller claiming to be an Oakland County Sheriff Deputy.
"They got me scared to the point of losing the ability to really think clearly about what was happening," said Hogan.
The voicemail was from a 248 number and said they were calling from the Oakland County Civil Citations Unit and to call them back immediately.
When Hogan did, she said they had prompts that mimicked the Sheriff's Departments, and a man claiming to be a deputy answered.
"He said, 'Okay, this is regarding a missed jury duty situation,'" shared Hogan.
The caller knew her name, address, and personal information.
He said that because she missed jury duty, she needed to come to the sheriff's department immediately.
Hogan recounted, "He's like ‘ma’am, ma’am, ma’am, let me tell you something.’ And this is where it got scary. He’s like, ‘I’m calling because I want to keep this matter in the civil courts. If we move over to the criminal courts, what’s going to happen is officers will come to your house today, and they will detain you for no less than 72 hours.'"
To keep that from happening, the caller said Hogan needed to get out $9,000 cash to pay a fine that would be refunded once she got to the sheriff's department to straighten things out.
"I mean, at this point, I am sobbing," said Hogan.
Thankfully she said that she got suspicious and hung up.
However, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told 7 News Detroit that, recently, there has been a big uptick in this scam, and many people have fallen victim.
Bouchard said, "We’ve been trying to tell the public about this."
He continued, sharing that sometimes the scam looks a bit different; the caller may say that you missed a court date or that they know of something you've done wrong.
"But the common thread is they’re always pushing for immediate action," said Bouchard. "They want money right away."
Bouchard said that sometimes the caller can even "spoof" the number they are calling from, making it look like they're calling from the sheriff's department when they're really not.
Don't fall for it. The sheriff's department will never ask you for money.
If you get a suspicious call, always hang up and call the department directly.
"Anyone at the right moment that is vulnerable, busy, and not thinking can really get sucked into this stuff," said Hogan.
Bouchard said, "Information is power, and that’s what ya’ll are doing here at Channel 7, is sharing the news. Don’t fall for it. We’re not asking for money over the phone, never will."
