Beware of Scammers: County Issues Warning

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning regarding scammers impersonating their deputies after a resident was scammed out of $10,000. 

The scam occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 12. According to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the person was contacted by an unknown individual who left a voice mail. Upon the victim recontacting the alleged scammer, the victim was told they had a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty. 

The victim was then threatened with arrest, loss of custody of their children and harm if they didn’t get the money. After receiving these threats, the victim paid $10,000 to the scammer through Apple Pay. 

“Scammers are exceptional at creating a false sense of urgency in people,” Saratoga County Sherriff Micheal Zurlo said. “That urgency should be the first clue that something is off. Slow down and take the time to call us before taking any action. It could save you from a significant financial loss and major emotional impact.” 

The incident came one day before the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York issued a warning regarding scams impersonating the Department of Justice. 

According to their notice, the scammers focus on immigration-related matters and threaten victims if their demands aren’t met. They also spoof the phone number to appear as though they’re affiliated with the government. 

In light of these scams, both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Saratoga County Sherriff’s Office asserted that they would never contact someone to demand money under any circumstances. In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that they would never ask for payment in the form of gift cards or ask someone for their credit card information. 

They also listed numbers to call should you be the target of one of these scams. For the Sherriff’s Office, residents are encouraged to call (518) 885-6761 and for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, residents can call 315-448-0672. 

While scams impersonating government aren’t new, it has been getting worse. The FBI Internet Crime report found that in 2024 there were 17,367 reports of government impersonation scams, compared to 14,190 in 2023 and 11,554 in 2022. These scams cost the victims $405,624,084 in 2024 — compared to $394,050,518 in 2023 and $240,553,091 in 2022. 

In July, a scammer from Brooklyn targeted an elderly couple by claiming to be from Citizens Bank and stole $80,000 from them.