WOODSTOCK, VT — The Windsor County Sheriff’s Department is warning residents about a phone scam in which callers impersonate deputies and demand money.
The department said it has received multiple reports of people receiving calls from a caller ID that appears to show the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department or names and ranks of individual deputies.
In the calls, the impersonators claim money is owed due to non-payment of a judicial summons or other offense, according to the department.
The caller sometimes acts as if he is in a squad room speaking with other officers to make the matter sound urgent.
In most cases, a threat is made that if payment is not made immediately, the victim will face imprisonment or other long-term financial burdens.
The department said deputies and other police officers will never call someone and demand money be paid or wired for anything or threaten arrest if fines are not paid immediately.
The FBI has been notified and forwarded relevant information regarding the calls, according to the department.
The department advised anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to be a police officer and demanding money to disconnect and call the department back directly at 802-457-5211.
