Scammers impersonating law enforcement officers in Champaign Co. [Video]

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about another phone scam.

According to officials, scammers are pretending to be law enforcement officers and contacting community members, demanding they pay money to avoid an arrest or other legal consequences.

Watch out for this Christian Co. phone scam involving fake law enforcement officers

Some victims said the scammers told them they have outstanding warrants or failed to report for jury duty. They then demanded the victims pay fines immediately with debit cards, gift cards, or wire transfers.

These calls can be harder to identify as fake because the scammers use caller ID spoofing, which makes it appear as if the call is coming directly from the Sheriff’s Office or other law enforcement agencies. Some callers go as far to provide badge numbers, officer ranks or identities of actually employees to try and convince the victims.

The …