WOODHAVEN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A scam is going around right now, and it involves someone impersonating a Wayne County Sheriff. A Woodhaven doctor says he was almost a victim to that scam.
Dr. Eric Mann is a veterinarian at the Woodhaven Animal Hospital. He says earlier this week, a man called the clinic and claimed to be Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington.
“The more they talked I kind of knew this isn’t right," Dr. Mann said. “When I picked up the phone, they said I missed a jury summons from last March and there was now a bench warrant for my arrest.”
Dr. Mann says the man on the phone told him to get in his car right away and go to an address he said was the Sheriff's Office.
“He said all you have to do is come down to the office and we will get it straightened out, bring two forms of ID," Dr. Mann said.
Dr. Mann got in his car as he was on the phone with the man and immediately headed towards the police station.
“As I got in the car, he kept going 'where are you, where are you? We need to know where you’re at,'” Dr. Mann said. “And he goes to clear this, we need $5,000.
So, when did he know it was a scam?
“Two things, one, when he asked for money, I knew it was a scam, then he swore at me so then I knew Wayne County Sheriff isn’t going to swear at me so I kind of turned around then," Dr. Mann said. “Once he said money, I basically turned around and came back to work that day."
I reached out to the Sheriff's Office about this scam call, and they said “these scammers have been pushing this scheme for the last two months, not just in Wayne County but across the state. No sheriff’s office will ever call you on the phone demanding money. These people are using high-pressure tactics; don’t fall for it.”
Dr. Mann says he's glad he realized sooner rather than later he was about to be scammed.
“I wish I would’ve hung up and called the Wayne County Sheriff because then I wouldn’t even gotten in my car," Dr. Mann said.
Thankfully, Dr. Mann didn't give out any money, and is now sharing his story as a warning to others.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office says scammers have been pushing around this scheme for months and they want people to know their office will never call you demanding money. If you get a scam call, the Sheriff's Office advises you to hang up immediately and contact police.
