IONIA, Mich. – The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a couple of new, and a couple of old, scams going around the area.
Monday, a resident called police after an “unmarked” police car pulled into his driveway. The resident told police he approached the car and the person inside said that he had received a tip that there were illegal firearms inside the home. The person in the car requested the resident’s ID which he then scanned into a device. The driver then said he was clear and then left. The resident told police that he never asked the person in the car for a badge or official ID.
Ionia deputies say that you should never be afraid to ask for ID from someone claiming to be a police officer. It is not known what the suspect was trying to gain.
Over the weekend another resident filed an extortion complaint with the sheriff’s department. The victim had unknowingly sent a photo in a “compromising position” to someone who they thought they knew. It turned out the suspect had been using a “spoofing” device. The suspect was then threatening to show the picture on social media unless they received a payment.
Other scams going around Ionia County include the IRS scam and the call that claims that a relative is in jail in a foreign country and needs money. Investigators say that once you send money in to one of these scams, the money is gone and law enforcement is not going to be able to get the money back.
