A Stark County woman is warning others after she says a caller posing as a law enforcement officer knew her personal information and attempted to convince her to leave her home while staying on the phone.
The woman reached out to Jordan Miller News Tuesday after receiving a call from someone claiming to be a lieutenant with the Stark County Sheriff’s Office. She said the caller knew her address and phone number and claimed she had missed a court appearance. The caller then instructed her to drive to the sheriff’s office while remaining on the line.
Instead, the woman hung up and contacted the Stark County Sheriff’s Office directly. Jordan Miller News reached out to Stark County Communications Manager Connie Diebel, who confirmed law enforcement impersonation is a scam the agency encounters regularly.
“Unfortunately, this is nothing new. We take scam reports every day and officer impersonation is a common one,” Diebel said.
But officials say the circumstances described by the viewer raise another potential safety concern beyond financial fraud. “A caller telling someone to stay on the phone and then go somewhere to ‘make a payment’ is typically setting up a home robbery,” Diebel said. “So, beyond the concern for being scammed out of money, there is a concern for personal/home safety.”
Diebel said residents should be suspicious of unexpected calls, texts or emails and emphasized that legitimate law enforcement agencies will never call demanding payment. Being instructed to remain on the phone should also be considered a major red flag pointing toward a scam.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming to be from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office is encouraged to hang up and independently verify the call by contacting the agency at 330-430-3800 The Sheriff’s Office also shares scam prevention tips on its Facebook page each Tuesday, or more frequently when necessary, and maintains scam information through the Stark County Sheriff’s app.
