A Bellefontaine woman reported a scam attempt to the Bellefontaine Police Department on Thursday afternoon after receiving messages from an individual falsely claiming to be a law enforcement officer and alleging she had an outstanding warrant.
According to a report, the woman reported she had received a text message from someone claiming to be “Sergeant Brian Switt” with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
The message instructed her to call a phone number provided in the text.
When she did so, an individual on the line told her she had an active arrest warrant for missing jury duty and sent her a copy of what appeared to be an official document.
The document allegedly referenced the “Northern District of Ohio,” though she reported it contained no address or valid contact information.
The caller then demanded payment to avoid arrest, initially requesting $100,000, before lowering the amount multiple times—to $40,000 and then $2,000—after the complainant stated she did not have sufficient funds.
The victim reported she only had $198 in her account and ultimately told the caller she would go to the police department directly.
The caller then warned her not to do so, claiming she would be arrested, and subsequently ended the call.
She told officers she did not provide any financial information or send any money.
The victim also stated that her Facebook account had recently been hacked and expressed concern that the two incidents may be related.
