The Fake News

A spectre is haunting Lake County. And it is not the spectre of stale Halloween candy. No, this is the spectre of the faith that honest people place in their law enforcement officials -- and how some individuals would abuse this faith for their own personal gain. This of course refers to those telephone scammers who have been posing as Lake County Sheriff deputies:

Police are warning Lake County residents about a telephone scam in which callers say they're from the Lake County sheriff's office. The calls appear on the caller ID as a telephone number used by the sheriff's office, making appear to be a valid, the sheriff's office said in a news release. The caller then tells potential victims that a complaint has been filed against them and gives them the phone number of an "investigating officer" to call.
Calls from 'sheriff's office' are a scam, Lake County authorities warn

One law enforcement official called your LakeCountyEye to pass along a warning: bad guys will carefully stage their exploits. And while they won't deceive trained law enforcement officials, unsuspecting individuals are often easily fooled. "It is not just victims who end up losing their money. A Major Crimes Task Force investigation can cost the taxpayers $300,000 or more from the git-go."

Everyone is asked to be vigilant and to exercise some common sense precautions: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.