The following is a press release from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

The King County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center in Renton had a couple of unexpected visitors yesterday, July 18 —both people told staff they were sent there by a caller who claimed to be with the Sheriff’s Office.

The scammer claimed the victims had outstanding warrants or had missed a court date and when they did not agree to send money, they were directed to go to the Communications Center and were even provided the address. It appears the scammer even spoofed the non-emergency phone number to bolster their claims. It is unclear as to why the victims were actually sent to a Sheriff’s Office facility but luckily they lost nothing but some of their time.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is not in the business of collecting payment for anything so we will never threaten to arrest someone if they don’t pay. If you are ever contacted and threatened with arrest if you don’t pay, hang up the phone immediately and report the call to your local law enforcement agency.

There are many other scams out there and unfortunately, many target the elderly and other vulnerable people. The KCSO encourages people to have open and repeat conversations with their vulnerable loved ones in an effort to protect them from these fraudulent scams. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.