For Immediate Release Contact: Lt. Matt Gard
April 16th, 2020 mjgard@lafayette.in.gov
(765) 807-1223
Alert: Scam Targeting Health Care Workers/Therapists
The Lafayette Police Department and other Law Enforcement Agencies in Tippecanoe County have been receiving reports of scams targeting health care workers, therapists, and psychologists. This appears to be a part of a nationwide trend that is appearing here in Tippecanoe County.
The cases that have appeared in Tippecanoe County have involved a scammer calling and telling the health care professional that they missed a court date in which they were scheduled to testify as an expert witness. The scammer then threatens the victim that they have a warrant that was issued for their arrest unless they pay a bond immediately while they are still on the phone.
Often the victim is then told to go to a store and obtain a pre-paid debit card or a gift card, and are directed to give the scammer the numbers on the card. The scammer often will use the name of a legitimate officer with an agency in our county to provide themselves with some legitimacy if the victim tries to research the officer’s name. Victims in these cases often times will be out several thousand dollars before realizing it was a scam.
Different variations of this scam have come and gone throughout the years. The common underlying theme is placing the victim in fear of arrest for missing a court date, jury duty, or other legal proceeding unless they pay a fine immediately. We want to stress that no law enforcement agency will call demanding money be paid for missing a court date of any sort.
If you receive a call of this nature contact your local law enforcement agency. Do not call back any number provided to you by the suspected scammer.
Thank You,
Lieutenant Matt Gard
Community Outreach & Crime Prevention