Scammers are now using the law to get money from victims.
Two weeks ago, a Culpeper businessman received a call from a person who claimed to be a law-enforcement officer in Florida.
The caller told the businessman that one of his employees was in jail there and needed bail money. Calling the employee by name, the person asked that bail money be wired to get the man out of jail.
According to a spokesman for the Culpeper town police, the employer wired the money only to find out an hour or so later that the employee in question was nowhere near a Florida jail.
Several days later, another Culpeper man received a call from someone claiming to be an attorney in Canada. This time, police said the victim was told that a relative had been in a car accident and had been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
The caller said that if the money was sent before the court date, charges would be dismissed. Police said the victim promptly wired almost $3,000, only to discover that the relative was in Virginia.
According to Corey Byers of the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office, a third man was called by someone claiming to be "The Order of Police" and requested $2,000 in a similar manner.
This man, however, did not wire the money, but called the Sheriff's Office instead. The call was traced to a number in Canada.
Anyone who receives such a call is asked to call police and report the incident before wiring any money.
Donnie Johnston:
Email: djohnston@freelancestar.com