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August 11, 2017

Don’t be a victim of a scam targeting Rapid City/Pennington County residents

Another rehash of an increasingly common scam is targeting residents of Rapid City and Pennington County. Luckily, it has some red flags.

The scam plays out like this: The scammer calls a potential victim and informs them they’re with a local law enforcement agency and that the person has missed a jury summons. The missed summons has resulted the potential victim having a warrant (associated with a large amount of money) issued for their arrest. The scammer then says they’ll drop the warrant in exchange for money, gift cards, or a wire transfer.

This is not how law enforcement in our area operates.  If you have a warrant, law enforcement will not request payment over the phone, through gift cards, or through wire transfer. If any of these red flags present themselves, hang up the phone. Should you wish to verify if you have a local warrant, you may always do so by calling the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division at 605-394-6117.

Recognizing the warning signs of a scam is the best way to keep yourself from being victimized.