Photo: Norfolk County Sheriff's Office
DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new wave of scams.
According to authorities, scammers are pretending to be law enforcement over the phone, claiming the targets face fines for failing to appear for jury duty. In a press release, Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott reminded residents that any phone call demanding money is an immediate red flag, especially when the scammer claims to be law enforcement.
“Please, just hang up on people who make these claims,” said Sheriff McDermott. “No one from our office, or any other law enforcement agency, makes these calls. This is a scam.”
In Bourne, Mass., one man said he lost $68,700 in the scam after sending the money through a local convenience store. The victim told authorities the scammers were “very intimidating” and has since filed a report with the Bourne Police Department.
Anyone who is contacted by scammers posing as law enforcement is asked to report it to the authorities. With a seemingly never-ending list of new scams to watch out for, some Norfolk County residents said it can be tough to keep up.
“[It’s] amazing how much time these people have to sit at home and think about how to screw somebody over,” said one man.
“It’s very sad, very shameful,” said one woman. “I have a 97-year-old grandmother and she goes through this a lot. I think it’s terrible. They have no morals, no class, no decency.”
“I would be mad,” said another man. “About a year ago, I didn’t realize I was being scammed. I was able to catch it, though.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chris Fama (CFamaWBZ) reports.