Adams County Sheriff’s Department warns of ‘spoofing’ calls asking for bond money

QUINCY — The Adams County Sheriff’s Department and the Quincy Police Department recently have received several reports of Adams County citizens receiving fraudulent phone calls from the sheriff’s office.

Calls were made using the phone number 217-277-2200, and the caller reported a warrant was made for the resident. The caller then advised the resident to post bond on their warrant over the phone with either a credit/debit card or by buying prepaid cash cards and providing serial numbers to the caller.

A press release from the sheriff’s department read that while the calls appear to be coming from the actual sheriff’s department phone number, they are not.

The Federal Communications Commission defines “spoofing” as when a caller deliberately falsifies information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use neighbor spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. Callers use scam scripts to steal money or personal information for fraudulent activity.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of a spoofing scam, file a complaint with the FCC on its website at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or file a police report with your local law enforcement agency.