Contact: Sgt. Joel Roon - 616.632.6106
Email: joel.roon@kentcountymi.gov
Supervisor Approval: Roon
Incident Type:  Scam Alert Advisory

KENT COUNTY, Mich - A scam we have seen before has resurfaced in Kent County.  Just recently, two local residents received phone calls from a person claiming to be a Kent County Sheriff Deputy.  The alleged deputy informed the resident that their family member, who is a sex offender, is in violation of the Sex Offender Registry in some way and will be arrested unless a fine is paid.  Both calls were made to senior citizens who did in-fact have a family member on the Sex Offender Registry.  A phone number was given to the senior citizens to call so they could "resolve the matter" and when the number was called it was answered by someone greeting the caller by saying "Kent County Sheriff's Department."

Residents should be advised that we will never solicit funds for this purpose, and law enforcement in general will never ask for payment in the form of a voucher, gift card, iTunes gift card, or prepaid credit card.  Residents can call their local police to verify the employment of a person claiming to be a police officer, however, we suggest the resident either obtain or verify the police department's phone number from a known, reputable source.  If you receive a scam call like this you may call your local police non-emergency number to determine whether or not a report should be filed.  If you live in the Kent County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction that number is 616-632-6100.