Fraudulent Phone Calls, Caller Claims To Be A Sheriff's Office Employee

Over the last few days, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office has taken several calls regarding a person(s) fraudulently claiming to be from our Sheriff’s Office.  The caller will identify themselves using the names of staff members who do actually work for our department.  The caller may state you have fines that need to be paid and to contact our office or a warrant will be put out for your arrest.  Other times the caller will tell you to stay on the line and drive to our department.  They may also tell you to call in to our department and ask for a specific deputy.   So far, the caller has not asked for any money to be sent to them, which is how this scam usually works. 

If you receive a call like this, don’t ever send money.  Any citations issued through our department are always paid directly through the Clerk of Courts Office.  We would never ask you to get gift cards, a money order, or any other form of payment and send it to a specific person.  We also do not call people and tell them they have a warrant.  If you get a call and you are unsure whether it is legitimate or not,   feel free to call our dispatch center at 608 356-4895 to verify the information you received is correct.  If you can get a phone number or name from the person calling, that would be helpful too. 

Chip Meister

Sauk County Sheriff