Scam call threatens ‘you will be taken under custody by the local cops'

The phone rings and a robotic voice is on the other end.

It says the police are coming for you.

“You will be taken under custody by the local cops, as there are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment,” the message says. “We would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you.”

“I would want to know first, you know, why you’re contacting me last minute saying the police are coming. Why haven’t you called me and asked me about it beforehand? I’d ask a lot of questions,” said Chris Jackson, who said he gets scam phone calls daily.

Jackson is right to have questions; this is a scam call going around Jacksonville.

The robotic voice claims you owe money to the IRS and need to pay up before the police show up.

“Use your common sense. Think about it. Why would the police call me and tell me that I have a warrant so that I can run away and make their job more difficult?” said Action News Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson.

While some might be inclined to just hang up and move on, Jefferson said it’s worth reporting it to law enforcement to protect others.

“Some people will fall for it. Some people will do whatever they’re asking them to do. There have been people who have lost thousands of dollars behind these type of scams,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson suggested reporting it to local law enforcement, who can escalate it to the federal level if necessary.

Cox Media Group