Van Buren County Sheriff News Release [Fraud Scam Alert #25000338]

Nature of Incident:

Fraud/Scam Alert

Incident Number:

25000338

Date and Time:

1/10/2025 at 1348hrs

Narrative:

Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott reports that a series of scams are still being attempted and occurring in Van Buren County. On 1/10/2025 the victim was contacted by someone alleging to be a lawyer advising that a family member was currently lodged in jail and needed $15,000 in order to bond the subject out of jail. The suspects in these cases usually use the most heinous crimes to incite fear and shock in the unsuspecting victim. In this incident it was a traffic crash in which a child was killed. These claims were all false.

In this particular case a LYFT courier was sent to the victims address to collect the funds. The suspect advised the victim to wrap the money in newspaper and place it in a cardboard box. The money was then turned over to an unknown subject who took it to allegedly bond out the family member.

A short time later the suspect recontacted the victim and tried to extort more funds from them.

Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott wants to advise the public that the Sheriff's Office will never request bond payment ever be paid in this manner. If anyone calls requesting bond payment to stay vigilant and contact the Sheriff's Office to check for validity. We will never send a courier service to collect the funds or request any sort of payment in the form of a gift card. If anyone attempts to collect bond from you stay vigilant and make sure the claims are legit before handing over any money.

If there are any questions, please reach out to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office. This case remains open, and the Road Patrol Division is working alongside our Criminal Investigation Division in an effort to locate the suspect(s) involved.

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