St Johns, Grand Ledge police departments warn residents of familiar phone scam

ST. JOHNS, Mich. (WILX) - Police in St. Johns and Grand Ledge are warning residents of a common phone scam.

The Grand Ledge Police Department said it has received reports of fraudulent phone calls from individuals claiming to be law enforcement and requesting money.

These calls are not legitimate.

The St. Johns Police Department is reminding residents that officers will never call someone to tell them they have a warrant out for their arrests and that the person needs to pay gift cards to avoid being arrested.

Police added scammers have the ability to spoof phone numbers to make it appear they are calling from legitimate businesses or law enforcement agencies.

The official Federal Trade Commission website has more information on how to recognize scams.

If this sounds familiar, these types of phone scams have occurred multiple times in municipalities across the state of Michigan.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has released multiple warnings about scam attempts that use similar patterns. Consumer complaints can be filed online at the Attorney General’s website, or if you have questions call 877-765-8388.

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