“You’re not in compliance” – STOP these scams

You might think it’s repetitive for us to keep posting warnings about these scams, but we’re going to keep posting them until they are stopped or until law enforcement does something to stop them… or better yet, until the FDLE takes our information offline so we stop being victimized.

The number of calls and emails we get each week “letting us know about a scam we should be aware of” is unbelievable. As much as we’d like to think we’re reaching the entire registrant community, we only have 2,000 members and there are 74,000 potential victims on Florida’s list and a million potential victims nationwide who are being targeted. If we’re still hearing from people who don’t know about it or only found us after they were victimized, we’re not distributing these warnings broadly enough.

FDLE should require registration offices in each and every county to hang a poster prominently in their office to warn registrants of this scam. We have asked them to. They won’t. They don’t care if we get scammed so we have to do a better job of protecting our own.

Below is a member submission describing the scam call he received.

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“Hello”

“This is Officer Thomas Livingston from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.  My badge number is 4246.  I am in the Records and Communication Office and I am charge of Offenders Out-of-Compliance. I’m looking for Mr. *******.”

“This is he.”

“Is there any reason you haven’t submitted your second DNA sample as required? Did your officer who does your annual address check or a notice from the US Post Office inform you that you were non-compliant in submitting your sample? The court has posted you as non-compliant and my job is to try to make this go away for you. I will need you to come down to the Sheriff’s Office to sign that you did not receive a notice and that you will comply. Now, please go to your car and I will give you further directions.  Do not hang up or I will mark you as non-compliant and two deputies will be out to arrest you.”

“OK – struggling to get to the car.  OK, there now.”

“You will need to pay a restitution fee of – let me check the computer. Yes, here it is. It is currently $1,072. But if we verify that you did not receive notice, a cashier’s check will be sent to you with a total refund within 4 to 7 days. We have a new payment system and I will need you to stop by one of our affiliates in your area.  Are you familiar with Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, in your area?”

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Yes, that is what happened to my wife and me recently! I am 86 and my wife is 88; I try to fully comply with every requirement so this knocked us for a loop.  When we got this call, it sounded so legitimate that we both immediately became intensely nervous and concerned.  To avoid a criminal offense and keep it civil, I was anxious to do whatever was needed. But I hoped it wasn’t a scam.  Actually, come to think of it, I did hope it was a scam!

I share this to help others stay aware of the scams out there and not fall victim like we almost did. If you are wondering what we did next, read on . . .

At one point, I said I had to go get some papers for him and he said he would call back.  I then called his number that showed on my phone – a lady answered and knew nothing about the Sheriff’s department and had not made any calls to my number.  When the “officer” called back, I told him that as Communications Officer, he should be able to get that straightened out. He said he was calling from a cell (my first warning!) and that was his number.

As we went out to the car, my wife called our daughter (next door) to come over and she spoke to the “Officer.” She got the same details and gave me the phone back. While I delayed him, she called the Broward Sherriff’s office and Human Resources verified there was no such officer or badge number! She was then transferred to Internal Affairs who said I should go to the Weston BSO and report it.

We went to the Sherriff’s Office and tried to report it. They said they get so many scam reports that all they can do is warn you not to give out personal information nor pay any money – esp. Walgreens gift cards! However, since my daughter had called Internal Affairs and the scammer had impersonated a police officer, they were interested and will be calling both of us back to get all the details.

We breathed a sigh of relief and the tight feeling in our chests toned down a bit. Although my wife is having anxiety attacks about it and we may need to consult a therapist. So, watch out – out there!