Authorities warn of scam phone calls

Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to be aware of an uptick in scam phone calls and emails related to failure to appear for a court case.

Scammers falsely claim a would-be victim missed a court date, failed to show up for jury duty or owe a fine. In all cases, the messages are not legitimate, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office will never contact individuals to demand payment, call to advise of a warrant, or accept payment through Venmo, PayPal or gift cards.

Scams are easy to detect because the caller typically uses pressure to pay immediately or suggests not telling anyone about the call.