DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — The Door County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents online about phone scams in the area.
- Sergeant Chris Neuville of the Door County Sheriff's Department describes how the scams are targeting residents.
- Scam alerts the Door County Sheriff's Office have posted warning residents about the types of scams.
- Theresa Hoelzel explaining how she keeps family and friends from falling for scams.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The Door County Sheriff's Office is trying to make sure residents don't get tricked into losing their money to scammers. On Wednesday the Sheriff's Office posted their most recent scam alert on Facebook.
"We have received multiple reports of a scam targeting Door County residents. The scam involves someone posing as 'Sergeant Johnson' from the Door County Sheriff's Office, asking for monetary donations. Please be advised, this is a scam," the Door County Sheriff's Office posted.
"The caller- they get a random call, the caller identifies themselves as 'Sergeant Johnson' and says he works for the Door County Sheriff's Office and ultimately is looking for money, whether that be your credit card information or in the form of gift cards, we see that as well," Sergeant Chris Neuville said.
Neuville says that scams are a re-occurring issue in Door County. The Sheriff's Office post these scam alerts to make sure the public stays well-informed.
In August, the Sheriff's Office posted a scam alert where the scam caller said there was a warrant issued for victims because they failed to appear for jury duty.
One victim felt unsure about the call, so she called the Door County Clerk of Circuit Court to confirm it was a scam.
"They use these scare tactics to try to get the money from these victims," Neuville said.
Theresa Hoelzel lives in Sturgeon Bay and makes sure to keep her friends informed about these scams.
"My friend almost fell for it but I was able to stop her- cause she called me and she goes 'Oh my goodness I-' I go, that's a scam, that's a scam!" Hoelzel said.
She also spreads awareness online by posting about her own experiences with scammers.
Sergeant Neuville says if you've fallen victim to a scam you can go to the Internet Crime Complaint Centerand file a complain, you can also contact the Door County Sheriff's Office through their non-emergency line which is linked on Facebook.
