City Times Staff

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — The Wood County Sheriff’s Department is warning residents of an on-going phone call scam in the area.

According to the following news release, multiple complaints have been made regarding scam phone calls regarding an alleged debt recovery company.

“The person claiming to be from the debt recovery company told the victims that they had outstanding debts and that failure to pay them over the phone immediately would result in arrest or issuance of a warrant. The caller ID showed that the phone number belonged to either the Wood County Sheriff’s Department or Wood County Clerk of Courts.

Other variations of this scam will utilize well-known local law firms or actual debt recovery agencies. The caller ID spoof is done by utilizing software or an application that enables the caller to change what the outgoing number looks like on caller ID.

Sheriff Thomas Reichert would like to remind you that no member of a law enforcement or government agency will ever contact you and demand you provide them money over the telephone.

Sheriff Reichert encourages residents to exercise extreme caution when someone attempts to pressure you into providing them payment over the telephone, especially when they are requesting you pay them with money orders or gift cards. These forms of payment are anonymous and nearly impossible to track. This is why they are the preferred method of payment for scammers. The callers will often resort to threats of fines, arrest or even physical harm in order to attempt to coerce and intimidate you into paying them.

If you receive a call like this, hang up and contact your local law enforcement agency to report it.”

Additional information regarding scams and scam prevention are available at the Federal Trade Commission Website at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/. We also encourage you to report any calls like this to the FTC as they work nationally and internationally to arrest the people responsible for these scams. Any local complaints or questions can be made to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department or your local law enforcement agency.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Department and Wood County Dispatch Center can be reached at 715-421-8700 to report any incidents.