MA Sheriff's Dept. Warn Residents of New Cash Grab Phone Scam

One western Massachusetts Sheriff's Department is warning people about the latest scam targeting local residents.

Massachusetts is full of a lot of really good people, unfortunately, there are still some bad ones out there as well. In an age where people have access to others in so many ways, coupled with ever-growing technology, scams are on the rise.

According to CNBC, there has been a 61% increase in attacks and scams in the past year, and each year they become more sophisticated in their methods. The news outlet reports that last year consumers lost an estimated $5.8 billion to fraud last year.

The Sherriff's Department in Berkshire County, Massachusetts is just the latest law enforcement agency warning local residents about a new and ongoing scam involving the false impersonation of an officer.

In a recent Facebook post, the office wants to make the community aware of the ongoing scam that was recently reported to them.

Unknown individuals are contacting residents who live in the small western Massachusetts community claiming that they work for the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department and are calling to inform targets about alleged warrants for their arrest. These callers are falsely identifying themselves as Sgt. Brad Little and Sgt. Alan Cummings.

These scammers are looking for money in return to "clear the warrants" and are requesting payment through various online services in the sum of $1200.00.

The Sheriff's Department made clear that no one from their office is contacting members of the community and nor would they ever with such information. Residents who receive a call stating such, are asked to hang up and contact their local police department with any information pertaining to the call.

The full post can be seen below.