WELD COUNTY, Colo — The Weld County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is warning about a scam involving police impersonators offering to cancel warrants in exchange for gift cards.
WCSO said deputies spoke with a Weld County resident on Saturday who reported his daughter received a phone call from someone claiming to be “Deputy Walker” with badge number 1362 with the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. The impersonator told the woman she had an active warrant for her arrest.
The impersonator offered to cancel the warrant if the daughter paid him $600 in gift cards, WCSO said. The impersonator insisted they remain on the phone together while she went out to make the purchase, which would have to be approved by “Sgt. Hanes” with the finance department.
The woman’s father, a former law enforcement officer, recognized the call was a scam and informed the Sheriff’s Office.
WCSO said the warning signs the call was a scam, in this case, are:
- The sheriff’s office doesn’t have its own finance department to process warrants, particularly those paid with gift cards.
- Weld County Sheriff’s Office badge numbers don’t number into the thousands.
- The Weld County Sheriff’s Office would never cancel an arrest warrant in exchange for gift cards.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.
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Calls to the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers are not recorded and the phone does not have caller ID, according to the NoCoCrimestoppers website. A coordinator completes a tips information form, makes initial inquiries and passes the information along to investigators.
A two-way dialogue system online also allows tipsters to come back and provide additional information and ask questions.
A community board of directors meets regularly to evaluate arrests and determine reward amounts.
> More information about Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers can be found here.
> Additional NoCo Crime Stoppers bulletins can be found here.
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