“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.
“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?”
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!
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I had someone call me several months ago. I normally do not take the call if I don’t recognize the number. The caller left a voicemail saying he was Captain so-and-so from the Oakland County Sheriff’s department (Michigan) and was looking for “Robert” (then my last name). Robert was my father’s name and he died in 1984. My last name is not a very common name so it raised some red flags. I did not call back and the person has not called me again.
Normally of I have the time, I will mess with scam callers. I get them all the time, especially the ones that say they have been trying to reach me about my car’s warranty.. After I’m done pissing them off, I’ll repeatedly call them back and start harassing them until they block my number.
Keep in mind that the police are not going to call you to tell you that you have a warrant, or that you’re out of compliance. If you have a warrant, they’re just going to show up unannounced and arrest you. If you’re out of compliance, and its nothing serious (like you need your fingerprints updated), they’ll inform you either by letter or in person when you go verify. If you get a call saying you’re out of compliance, look yourself up on the registry because it will have you listed as non compliant if you truly are.
The IRS will never call you either. They only correspond by letter. NEVER fall for the B.S. scams that want you to go to Walmart to buy gift cards to pay a fine. If you owe a fine, it has to be paid at your local court house in CASH, or on their official website with a debit or credit card. If someone claiming to be the police calls you, get the person’s name and badge number, which they are required to provide, then hang up and call your local police or sherriff’s office and ask for that person. If that person’s name and badge number matches, then ask if he just called you.
Be smart people and question EVERYTHING.
No matter what type of charges you have against or registry requirements you have to follow. If you’re non compliant the police or any type of Law Enforcement will definitely not call you and warn you about it. They will just show up at your house with an arrest warrant. Any time money is ever mentioned in an unsolicited phone call from an unknown number it’s definitely a scam.
Tim
But isn’t it a shame they call the registry Non punitive. And yet we can be arrested for registering a day late, forgetting to report an email address we haven’t used in 15 years(But may still be attached to your account) and hundreds of other reasons we can be arrested that no other group on Earth (Ok maybe North Korea) would arrest you for.
To add insult to injury, a non criminal act like not registering an email, even though the registry has no punitive value, we can actually be sent to prison for more time than our original charge? A charge that may have included actually having illegal sex with someone.
In closing, having sex with someone illegally carries a lesser charge that not reporting your email address. What genius came up with that scheme?
I got one a few years ago, claiming I violated a mailed court order to give a DNA sample. Told them I never got one, they said irrelevant, I’m still liable. Told them to mail me another one, I’ll wipe my ass with it and they can get their sample from that. Then they threatened arrest, I told them to come get me. Haven’t heard from them since.
Dustin
I looked you up and you do have a warrant.
It states you are wanted for threatening to use an official scammers document to wipe your ass.
You are being charged with
Count 1 : Wasting the scammers time
Count 2 : Ruining an un-official , official document
Count 3 : Giving a DNA sample made of feces(You get time served for that one)
count 4: Failure to properly advise the scammer where he and his DNA sample could stick it.
I will bond you out, Bond is set at $1, even I can handle that one 🙂
I got numerous calls when I lived in Florida and they didn’t even get my name right; so it stayed in voicemail. Next time I went in to register I played it for the sheriff and look on his face… priceless
While I have not received one of these calls, I do look forward to getting one. I will tell the caller to take his story, his badge, and his requirement for a check and place it where the sun don’t shine. They are playing with the wrong person when they try one of these stunts on me.
Keep telling them cause they will keep trying. I’ve reported it to parole and the the local police, who laughed. So now I just don’t answer any numbers I do not recognize. If it’s important they’ll leave a message ( they have) and then I check the numbers they’ve used. Nobody is going to stop this. Protect yourself and stop answering ever phone call.
INSIST on having a police report filed. You were victimized and can demand an incident report. If they refuse to file a report, get their name and let us know.
I completely agree. AND if your willing to be outted by the media, you can try to call one of the local news reporters and see if they will do a story on how your being scammed. It might be worth while and it might blow up in your face. But it is something to consider.
AL
If you value your families privacy, you will stay as far as the East is from the West away from the media. They have destroyed more lives than any war I have ever read about (My opinion of course).
The media is ALL about the story, be dammed who gets hurt in the process. And even when someone is dragged through the mud by the media and later is found not guilty, hardly ever is they a follow up story or an apology.
AND the media is one of the most powerful agencies in America. The Freedom of the Press act protects journalist so well that they go to extreme lengths to get the story. Even trespassing, paying neighbors to gain them access to you and more.
I have more respect for the horrible, evil judge who sentenced me with hate in her eyes than I do for the media. I know several people whose lives were destroyed because of either lies told by the news or them just making a story that doesn’t need to be told. People getting fired from their jobs after being outted by the news for being on the registry is one. Even though you were honest with the boss, they told you to keep it to yourself. But now, hey, everyone knows, it was on the damn 6 o’clock news because apparently it was a slow news day.
FAC
The City police , sheriff’s department, FDLE and all law enforcement has a special shredder just for Registrants complaints.
Last time I had 9 bullets shot through my windows, I was told to do an “Online report”. But my neighbor said someone stole a pair of 38 dollar shoes from her front porch (Delivered by Amazon) and 2 officers came out and took a report. UNREAL people.
Gives a different meaning to protect and serve. People on hit list and their families can be harassed, assaulted, bullied and murdered without a flinch. In 40 years of living I’ve never been ashamed in our country and law enforcement those that are supposed to help you.
To their credit, my sheriff’s office did let me file a report and was shown in the newspaper the following week.
I didn’t believe him and called the actual sheriff’s office number on a different phone.
Mbgodofwar
Yes there are some good people still in law enforcement. I actually got pulled over a couple of years ago and the officer ran my ID and said “Did you know you are on the sex offense registry”.
I looked at him and said “Really, is that a real question?” Anyway I apologized for going 10 over the speed limit and thanked him for his service in law enforcement, and said I pray for all officers to be safe. He went to the cruiser to write me a ticket. When he came back he gave me back my license and said ” I see you have safe driver on your license and I don’t want to ruin that for you, Slow the HELL down” and threw the license at me and walked away.
Yes part of his act was being a jerk but I sensed he had a heart, I didn’t get a ticket even though he saw my past and also mentioned the safe driver. (To be fair I also showed him my papers from when I worked in law enforcement so that may have slightly swayed things my way)
The biggest thing is your attitude. Even if an officer is a jerk to you, just a yes sir, yes maam goes a long way. Let them win and be in control and treat them with respect and about 80% of the time the event will de-escalate. It is those 20%-er cops you have to worry about.