Police are cautioning Marin County residents to beware of a telephone scam in which callers pretend to represent law enforcement and demand money, supposedly to avoid an arrest.
This week, a resident of the county was bilked out of nearly $2,000 in the so-called Green Dot scam, according to the Central Marin Police Authority.
The resident got a call from someone who pretended to be with the Marin County Sheriff's Office and said the resident had failed to attend jury duty and had an outstanding arrest warrant, police said.
The caller falsely said the resident could avoid arrest by buying a Green Dot gift card and providing the card information and PIN to the caller, police said.
The victim followed the instructions and lost close to $2,000, according to police.
Law enforcement officers do not contact residents by telephone to collect warrant or fine payments and will never ask for credit card, debit card or personal information on the phone, the Central Marin Police Authority said.
Residents who receive this type of call should not provide any personal information, hang up and notify their local police agency, police said. More information is available at the National Consumer League's website, www.fraud.org.
