An Arizona REALTORS® agent reported receiving a call allegedly from the Sheriff’s department and the phone number on the caller ID did in fact match that of the Sheriff’s department. The caller told the agent that there were two warrants out for her arrest because she had failed to comply with a subpoena to appear in court as a witness in a client’s case. She was told this was her only opportunity to take care of the situation or she would be facing 72 hours in jail.

The scammer requested the agent obtain a $4,000 surety bond to help resolve the issue. The caller was using the fact that the recipient of the call had a real estate license and said the agent could lose her license if she was arrested.  Fortunately, the agent knew that the Sheriff’s office would not place a call of this nature and demand payment to purportedly resolve an outstanding warrant.  

The agent reported that the caller was very forceful and intimidating. If you ever receive a call of this nature, please verify the legitimacy of the call by contacting the Sherriff’s department using an independently verified phone number.