Lake County sheriff warns of new phone scam

Authorities are warning of a phone scam in which callers claiming to be Lake County officials tell residents they owe money.

Officials said Wednesday that caller identification shows the calls coming from numbers used by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, lending a false air of credibility to the claims.

The scammers are using tools to "spoof" the telephone numbers, masking their real number to make it appear as if the call is coming from the sheriff's office, officials said.

During the call, the caller states they are "an officer of the court" and need to serve the recipient with a notice to collect money.

Sheriff's officials said the office never calls to solicit money for any reason, and anyone who may have received a scam call is urged to contact the sheriff's office at (847) 377-4000 to determine the validity of the call.

The sheriff's office said residents should never give identifying or personal information to anyone over the telephone unless there is a confirmation of who is on the other end of the line. People also should ask for a name and call back number, then hang-up and verify the information via the internet or telephone book. Should a caller ask for someone who isn't home, tell the caller that person can't come to the telephone, sheriff's police advise.