On June 8, 2021 at around 1230 hours a township resident received a call from a person identifying themselves as a Social Security Agent.  This agent (scammer) told the victim that her Social Security number was found to have been used to rent a car and a motel that was raided for drugs.  The scammer told the victim that there was an active warrant for her arrest and she could face several years in jail for this.  The scammer told the victim to go to several retail locations and purchase gift cards to satisfy the warrant.  The victim was instructed to go to several different locations to purchase the cards, making the victim drive around for over 2 hours to obtain the cards.  The scammer told the victim not to tell the clerk what the gift cards were for, if they asked.  The scammer told the victim the money would be held in a separate account and the money would be returned to her after her name was cleared.  The victim purchased over $8,500.00 worth of gift cards and then provided the scammer with the card information.  The scammer told the victim that the warrant was now canceled and they would receive a call back the next morning by 10:00 AM.  The victim never received a call back.

** Do not answer any unknown phone callers.  They can leave you a voicemail

With scams running rampant lately, police warn residents to be alert and suspicious of any agency or person asking for payment over the phone or sending cash in a package.    Contact and ask your local police before sending any money to anyone you do not know.