BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Broward Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about scammers who are calling people of all ages, claiming to be from local police departments and asking for money to put an arrest warrant on hold.
Taylor Mandel told Local 10 News Monday that her phone rang last Friday morning as she was rushing to an important doctor’s appointment.
That’s when the caller told her she missed jury duty and said she had three warrants out for her arrest.
Mandel said she was skeptical about the call but was more concerned about how much information the caller had about her, which was enough to cause panic.
“He had my social security number, so that’s why I thought it was real because I was like, how would they have this information?” she said.
While on the phone with the caller, Mandel said she Google searched the phone number, and it was revealed that the number was traced to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
“If you don’t come down to the sheriff’s department, they are going to pick you up in a police car and bring you down to the station,” said Mandel when referring to what the caller told her.
The caller claimed Mandel owed thousands of dollars for a bond, further stating that shat she would have to put a hold on the bond and then she’ll get a refund.
“I’m going to have you go to your nearest Walgreens or CVS. There’s going to be a kiosk there (and) when you get there you have to stay on the line with me the whole time,” the caller told Mandel.
“I don’t know how the legal system works. I’m not a criminal I’m not a lawyer I’m not a police officer,” she said. “When you’re in this high-stress situation, you’re not really thinking straight.”
While still on the phone, Mandel texted a family member who revealed the call was a scam, even adding her to the call to confront the scammer, who continued to insist he was with the sheriff’s office.
Mandel said after hanging up the phone, she immediately filed a police report.
She also created a post about the incident on her Instagram account where her followers flooded her inbox, saying they too would have fallen for the scam and thanked her for the warning.
“When you’re in a panic, it sounds so real,” said Mandel. “It’s hard to differentiate what’s real and what’s not.”
BSO says they’re aware of these scams and the spoofed phone numbers leading back to actual law enforcement agencies.
Authorities said the sheriff’s office will never call and ask for money. They also confirmed any of those types of calls should be reported to law enforcement.
While Mandel is in her 20s and caught the scam before sending money, phone scams like hers are often targeted at senior citizens, who account for $13 million in losses in Miami-Dade County, according to the FBI.
Last month, Local 10 News spoke with Lazaro Suarez who was conned out of $8,000 by someone calling and claiming to be his grandson, saying he had to pay the cash to a lawyer to get his grandson out of trouble.
Police said that the scammer in that incident was caught on camera after taking the money in person.
Authorities confirmed that Miami Dade County officials reported 650 instances of similar scams over the past year.
Broward County has not yet released data on how many of these scams have been reported.
Detectives insist there are more victims out there falling for these types of scams and are asking the public for help.
This also comes on the heels of a series of elderly scams in Westchester, southwest Miami-Dade and Hialeah where people were targeted for their jewelry.
Anyone with information on this most recent case should contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.