Full Notification

Public Information Release
August 11, 2014
Lieutenant Steve Brooks, Public Information Officer


The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has received a report of another fraud scheme which targets Lake County citizens.

Today, several citizens received a telephone call from an individual who identifies himself as Lieutenant Brad Davis of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He tells the individual that answers the phone that they have missed their scheduled summons for jury duty; and because of that they now have a warrant for their arrest. The suspect goes on to tell the person that the only way to avoid being arrested is to either obtain a money order or pre-paid card in the amount of $500.00 to make the warrant go away.

Unfortunately the suspect was able to provide some personal information to the individual answering the telephone, such as their home address and if they are disabled, further clarifying him as law enforcement and establishing himself as legitimate.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office does not employ anyone by the name of Brad Davis, nor would we have a member of the office solicit citizens for money, because they failed to show up for jury duty. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office does not contact people to advise them that they had missed a summons for jury duty.

A deputy investigating the case attempted to contact “Lt. Brad Davis” using the telephone number provided by the victims. The number went straight to voice mail saying that he had reached the warrant division and if this was an emergency to dial 911. The deputy further researched the telephone number and discovered it is an internet number that is generated by a company who provides online phones. It is reported that they can use the number for as long as they need, then they can get rid of it at anytime and obtain a new number.

There isn’t nearly as much advice on preventing fraud and scams as there are ways to be defrauded. However, aside from protecting one’s personal information, members of the public are encouraged to always carefully scrutinize unsolicited request of any kind before acting on them. Additionally, phone calls from law enforcement personnel or anyone else asking for money or personal information should always be verified before sending anything.