Duluth Police Warn Of An Officer Impersonator Phone Scam

The Duluth Police Department has warned of another phone scam, only this time it targets their own organization.  It bothers me that scammers are using law enforcement to do their scamming because it toys with our trust of those we expect will protect us.

The warning comes from both the Duluth Police and the Saint Louis County Sheriff’s Department.  Here's how the scam works, you would receive a phone call from an individual claiming to be a police officer or Sergeant Bradley from the Saint Louis County Sheriff’s Office.

You'd be told that they you have an outstanding fine for failure to appear and that you must pay immediately to avoid being arrested. At this point your mind is starting to race and thinking there must be some mistake.  The caller then demands that you provide your credit card information over the phone or send the money by wire transfer.

The DPD goes as far as letting us know the number the calls are coming from:   (218) 220-1281.

You should know that neither the Saint Louis County Sheriff’s Office or any other law enforcement agency would EVER call threaten arrest or demand payment of a fine. They also don't expect a fine be paid over the phone by credit card or wire transfer.

This type of scam isn't only a target of the Northland, this occurs all over the US. If you encounter a call like this from a person representing themselves as a law enforcement officer and demanding that you pay a fine, hang up, DO NOT provide any personal or financial information.

There is a simple way to avoid this, if you have questions whether you've missed a court date or if you do, in fact owe a fine, you should call the court administrator at (218) 726-2460.