CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Residents of Champaign are being urged to stay vigilant as both the Champaign Police Department and the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office have issued warnings about a new impersonation scam targeting locals.
The alert comes after a resident reported receiving a phone call on July 27 from someone pretending to represent the sheriff’s office. The impersonator, leveraging the name of a real Champaign Police employee, falsely informed the person of an unexpected warrant, demanding immediate payment to prevent an arrest.
“Champaign Police will never solicit money over the phone, particularly concerning warrants or legal matters,” emphasized Chief Timothy T. Tyler. He advised community members to remain cautious, especially when receiving unsolicited communications, and to confirm the legitimacy of a caller’s identity before making any financial transactions.
The sheriff’s office shared the police department’s post on its Facebook page and said that they also do not call to request money.
“We don’t do business over the phone. The Sheriff’s Office will never call you out of the blue to say, ‘Hey man, you’ve got a warrant,’” sheriff’s office officials said. “We will NEVER demand payment. We will never ask you for money over the phone, nor will we ever ask to be paid directly to clear a warrant.”
The reminder comes as scammers try to present themselves as official law enforcement, often using the names of real law enforcement officers and spoofing the caller ID, so it looks like the call is coming directly from law enforcement.
However, red flags that can easily give a scam away include:
- Demanding quick payment
Anyone who receives a call like this is advised to hang up immediately and contact the law enforcement agency the scammers claim to be a part of by calling their published nonemergency phone number.
Champaign Police can be contacted by calling 217-351-4545 or by filing a report online. The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office phone number is 217-384-1204.