Reno, Nevada. Jan. 12, 2015. In a growing scam reaching people across the country, phone fraudsters are using the threat of arrest or home visits to pressure people into paying hundreds even thousands of dollars.

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office wants area residents to be aware that we have received calls about a local phone scam in which the scammers impersonate District Attorney’s Office programs to fraudulently obtain money from innocent victims.

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office will never ask for payment over the phone or via wire transfer.

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, Fraudulent Check Diversion Program (FCDP) gathered the following information on one recent call:

A citizen called The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office FCDP because a man had called him claiming to be a representative of the program and said that he had defaulted on a pay day loan and was facing arrest. He gave the citizen a fictitious agency case number and hung up. The man called him back a short time later saying that it could be resolved and he could avoid arrest if he wired the appropriate sum of money. During the calls the stranger recited the FCDP phone number. However, the caller dissuaded the citizen from calling the program directly.

If this has happened to you, contact your local law enforcement agency.

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