Scammers Are Targeting Sex Offenders In Upstate New York

A handful of registered sex offenders have received calls from a scammer demanding individuals pay a fine to avoid an arrest here in New York. Here's what we know.

This scam is circling in the city of Rome New York according to the Police Facebook page:

How The Scam Works:

1) When the registered sex offender is contacted by phone, the scammer claims to be a sex offender compliance officer, and may supply badge and phone numbers. In some case, the scammer uses a specific officer's name associated with a specific local law enforcement agency, which in many cases is the name of a real officer.

The caller may or may not state they are with the same agency where the offender is currently registered. There have also been reports of scammers claiming to be with a federal law enforcement agency.

The caller then informs the registered sex offender that they are non-compliant with their registration requirements or that they failed to supply a DNA sample and will be arrested, or a warrant will be issued, if they fail to pay a specific fine or bond.

2) The sex offender is then instructed to obtain a variety of possible gift cards for specific dollar amounts:

Once the cards are obtained, the scammer instructs the victim to provide the unique number on the back of the cards. The scammer can then either drain the cash, or sell the card online, once they obtain the serial numbers from the card.

In some reported cases, the caller informs the victim they have additional fines and arrest warrant fees in an effort to collect more money.

Additional Scams:

Variations of the scam have been reported. When a scammer claims sex offender is out of compliance with registration requirements, in some cases, registration forms have been faxed to the scammers to prove a current registration status. Once the registration form is faxed, the scammers then have all of the personal information for the offender (name, date of birth and social security number) allowing them to be further victimized (identity theft).

You can learn more on Facebook online here.