Scammers are once again posing as law enforcement and first responders in phone calls to local residents.

Chief Criminal Deputy Amy Bundy with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve received notifications from residents who have reported fraudulent calls related to missed payments, missing a jury duty summons, and/or other calls.

Bundy said she met with a couple who received a call at 3 a.m. “advising the wife she needed to turn herself into the Sheriff’s Office because she had a warrant for an unpaid loan.”

“The scammers seem to have personal information about people and then tell people they can make a deposit somewhere, such as in Bitcoin or gift cards typically, to get out of having to go to jail.”

Sheriff Brian King said he’s received reports of scammers identifying themselves as either him or Sergeant John Keegan.

“This scam has surfaced periodically for several years now,” he said.

“It’s clear we are having another wave of this all to common type of scam.”

Sheriff’s staff report that at this time of year, Internal Revenue Service scams also appear during tax season.

Firefighter posers

Clallam County Fire District 3 recently reported that fraudulent phone calls have also been made from scammers claiming to be from the fire district seeking donations.

“Clallam County Fire District 3 will never contact you to ask for donations,” staff wrote online.

“If you receive such a call, do not provide any personal information and report it to local authorities immediately.

“Stay vigilant and protect yourself from scams.”

Statewide fraud

The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts reports multiple jury duty scams were reported throughout 2024 via phone, emails and mailings.

The agency advises that “Washington court personnel may contact you by phone, but they will never ask you to provide your personal information such as social security number or bank or credit card information.”

While scammers may seem legitimate repeating personal information, Washington Courts staff say that “courts, law enforcement and government agencies do not initiate calls about missing jury service and warrants, and will never ask for payment or financial information over the phone.”

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office recommends multiple steps to avoid scammers:

• Don’t give out personal or financial information

• Don’t pay if someone is asking you to wire money or pay with a gift card

• Resist pressure

• Don’t trust caller identification notifications as scammers can fake named and numbers

• Don’t answer calls if you don’t recognize the number, hang up if they ask you to press a number to speak with a live operator, block numbers if possible, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission online at reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)

If you have given out personal information, report the information to your bank, monitor your accounts, and if any unauthorized charges are made, report the theft to local law enforcement.

Call the sheriff’s office at 360-417-2262 and, to file a report if you’ve been the victim of a scam, call 360-417-2459 (Option 1). Contact Sequim Police at 360-683-7227.