Residents Are Reminded About Phone Scam Targeting Citizens

Queen Anne's County, MD - Eastern Shore Undercover is reminding residents about an ongoing phone scam affecting individuals across the Eastern Shore region. In this fraudulent scheme, callers impersonate law enforcement officials in an attempt to extract money from unsuspecting victims.

That same scam recently took place in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, where a resident was scammed out of $1,000.00.

On September 28, 2025, Corporal Sullivan of the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office received a report from a fraud victim. The individual reported receiving a call claiming he had a bench warrant for missing jury duty.

The caller demanded $1,000 worth of Chime refill cards to resolve this alleged warrant. The victim complied, only to later discover it was a scam.

Corporal Sullivan confirmed that the victim had no outstanding warrants and provided him with information on scam safety and identity theft protection measures.

Eastern Shore Undercover has issued a public warning about these impersonation scams, which have been increasingly common across the country. Scammers often use threats of arrest warrants to pressure victims into paying substantial amounts of money.

These scammers employ sophisticated tactics to appear credible. They manipulate caller identification systems to display local law enforcement phone numbers, and use AI to manipulate voices to sound like someone they know.

Victims are often informed that warrants have been issued for their arrest, with associated fines. The main reasons for these warrants can range from traffic violations to missed jury duty or unpaid taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Victims are presented with two options: surrender to law enforcement or pay a reduced fine to resolve the warrant. Scammers typically provide specific payment instructions, requesting payment via Gift Cards or similar prepaid online methods.

These criminal operations pose significant challenges for law enforcement agencies. The perpetrators often use prepaid phones and operate from locations outside the jurisdiction where the alleged crime occurred, making it difficult for local authorities to apprehend them.

Law enforcement agencies emphasize that legitimate warrant procedures differ greatly from these scam tactics. While officers may contact individuals about outstanding warrants, they will never request payment over the phone. Official warrant resolution does not involve negotiated payment arrangements or transactions via prepaid cards.

Citizens who receive suspicious calls about outstanding warrants should contact their local law enforcement office directly to verify any alleged legal issues.

Residents should never provide payment information or purchase gift cards based on unsolicited phone calls claiming legal troubles.