The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) will join AARP for Scam Jam 2023, a fraud protection mini-conference where people can learn how to spot a scam and gain insight on protection tips and tools to protect against fraud. Special guests at the event will include Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Federal Trade Commission Director Chuck Harwood.
Registration is free. You do not need to be an AARP member to attend.
Details:
When: Tuesday, April, 25, 2023 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Where: OMSI (1945 Southeast Water Avenue Portland, OR 97214)
Register: Online link
MCSO will have a booth and will be spreading the word about an on-going phone scam impersonating our members. Community members have reported losing thousands of dollars to these imposters.
Most commonly, the scam calls are from someone posing as a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant or sergeant. It’s been reported that the scammer claims the recipient has missed a grand jury summons and must pay a fine or they will be arrested. New tactics reported to us include, scammers using fake badge numbers and case numbers to try to legitimize their claims.
Often, a method of the scammers is to keep the person on the phone during the entire process and tell the person they are not allowed to contact family or friends for advice. Once the scammer receives payment, they will then tell the person they can come to an MCSO office for reimbursement.
We want to remind the public that we NEVER conduct matters concerning warrant service, missed jury duty, missed court dates or payment of fines over the phone. We urge you to be aware of these ongoing and evolving scams.