Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns are receiving a growing number of calls from scammers who impersonate police officers and claim to have an outstanding arrest warrant.
Several people in Utah have recently received calls from unknown people who claim to be U.S. marshals, court employees or law enforcement officers, according to Utah's U.S. District Court. The callers will often tell the victim that he or she failed to appear in court for jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for their arrest.
The victims are told they must pay the "bail" or be arrested, and the scammers can be "very convincing, urgent and intimidating," according to a statement from the court.
Some victims were told to meet the caller outside a courthouse — where they would presumably have encountered the scammer or received further instructions. Others were told they had a warrant with a $5,000 bond which they would need to go to a CVS, Walgreens or Walmart to pay.
Murray police put out a similar warning on Friday, saying they've received several reports of scammers purporting to be Murray police officers.
Police cautioned against falling victim to these scams, and said people should call their local police department, the FBI (801-579-1400) or the United States Marshals Service (801-907-2501) if they receive any suspicious calls.
