Idaho Crooks Are Stooping Really Low in Their Latest Scam

People can be slimy about how they try to make money these days and Ada County Sheriff’s Office shared a post to social media to remind people just that.

“Ada County Sheriff’s deputies will never call and threaten to arrest you because you missed jury duty – or have a pending civil judgment – or have a tax bill due – or anything like that,” Ada County Sheriff’s Office wrote to begin their post.

The worst part about this scam is that these criminals are impersonating real officers. Ada County Sheriff’s Office goes on to say that criminals are using fear tactics to scare victims into paying a fine electronically to avoid serious trouble.

These same criminals are using the name “Sgt. Pat Calley” (who is actually the Eagle Police chief who retired back in 2019) and the name of former Ada County Sheriff Steve Bartlett. If that’s not low enough, the crooks are even coming up with fake names, posing as deputies “Bonner” and “Mixon.”

So, not only are these low-lives posing as first responders who dedicate their lives to keeping us safe every day, but they’re using that to instill fear into unsuspecting victims in the Treasure Valley for money.

Ada County Sheriff’s Office says there’s a major red flag to always keep in mind.

“In reality, if one of our deputies had to issue an arrest warrant or file a civil judgment, they would try to find you in person and leave cards with call-back numbers on them several times before calling – and that would be to set up a meet. They will never ask you to wire or transfer money electronically. That is a sure sign of the scam.”

Ada County Sheriff’s Office says while the Better Business Bureau is aware of the scam, people need to be aware and think before volunteering personal information over the phone or the internet. If you think you’ve been scammed recently, contact Ada County dispatch at 208-377-6790.