Brown County Sheriff’s Office Fielding Reports of Scam Calls Impersonating Deputies

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota has received reports of instances in which others are impersonating Brown County Sheriff’s Office personnel.

Some reports of the encounters are that the call is very generic in nature, while some encounters are more detailed in nature. In the later, the caller identifies themselves as Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Chief Deputy Jeremy Reed and tells the individual that they have missed a court date and there is now a warrant for their arrest. The caller also provides the real badge number, the real office desk phone number, and the main number to the Brown County dispatch center. The caller will attempt to get personal identification information, Social Security numbers, banking information, or other forms of payment.

If you suspect that a telephone call from someone claiming to be a police office is fraud, immediately hang up and call your local police department directly using a verified number to verify the caller’s identity. Do not call back on the number that the scammer provided to you.

As a reminder, law enforcement will not ask for your personal identification information, Social Security numbers, banking information, or payments through PayPal, or gift cards.