Lake County phone scam

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is warning about a phone scam operating in the county. Officials said people representing themselves as sheriff office employees have called residents and said a complaint has been filed against whoever answers the telephone and instructs the recipient to call a number to reach that "officer." In other instances, callers have said they are from the Internal Revenue Service and are working with the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The calls are appearing on the recipients' caller identification as telephone numbers used by the sheriff's office, officials said. When the person calls the number given, the fraudulent caller tells the recipient they owe back-taxes and must pay a specific dollar amount or an arrest warrant will be issued. Anyone who is contacted is urged to contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office to determine the validity of the call at (847) 377-4000. People should never give identifying, personal or payment information to anyone over the phone. For information on this and other telephone scams, visit the sheriff's website at lakecountyil.gov/Sheriff/.