Johnson Kuhn/Aspen Times
A wave of scammers posing as Pitkin County Sheriff's Office employees are once again targeting Pitkin County residents. The ministry says the problem has been going on for at least 10 years.
Sheriff Michael Baglione said the police front office has received numerous visits and calls from people who have received calls from people pretending to be sheriff's deputies. The scammer says you have to transfer untraceable money to a fake lawmaker or public official to pay some kind of fine.
“People get calls from someone in the upper echelons of government, like someone in law enforcement or the courts, and they try to target specific people. It says the very basics that there's a warrant out for his arrest for a variety of things, including neglect of duty, civil documents, etc.,'' Civil Administrator Sarah Pushman said. “They end up just trying to get you to give them money to Western Union or drive them to Walmart to buy gift cards.”
Buglione said most people realize the call is a scam after the scammer attempts to obtain a gift card or money order. However, scammers sometimes use the agent's name (sometimes real, but usually not) and a fake badge number to blackmail or persuade the victim.
Law enforcement can't do anything until a crime is committed, he said. An investigation cannot be conducted without the exchange of funds. Unfortunately, even if someone does send money, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to identify the culprit.
Sheriff's Office officials said they suspect the scammers are primarily overseas. The calls are most often made from burner phones, some with technology that manipulates caller ID to make it appear as though the call is from the sheriff's office.
Pushman, who has spoken with victims who have contacted the sheriff's office, said scammers' tactics haven't changed much over the past decade, trying to scare people into handing over their money.
“We had a scenario where someone thought (the scam) was real and they came here very upset,” she said. “We don't like to see the public get frustrated over something like this, especially when it's completely false.”
The best tool law enforcement has against these scams is education and making the public aware of the scheme.
If you receive a suspicious call
The Sheriff's Office will not call you regarding arrest warrants or fine payments.
“We deliver documents, we knock on doors, and it's always in person,” Brione said. “If someone has an arrest warrant, we knock on the door with an arrest warrant. Search warrants as well. It's always done in person with court documents.”
You can call the Sheriff's Office at 970-920-5300 to find out if the call is a scam.
Buglione said he is not aware of any criminal charges filed for such fraud, but there have been victims who have given money.
Records manager Charlie Matthews said he could not extrapolate data specific to these frauds, but said 56 frauds had been completed in 2023 year-to-date. This includes telephone scams.
