The Porter County Sheriff’s Office says they have recently been receiving reports that citizens have been getting telephone calls in which people were fraudulently claiming to be law enforcement officials.  Sometimes callers can mask the caller ID information to make it appear as if the call is coming from a police department or other government entity.

“If you receive a call from a person claiming to be one of our Officers and are concerned they are not who they say they are, please hang up and call 219-477-3170 to verify their identity,” the Porter County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“If you receive a call from a person claiming to be an Officer with another agency and are suspicious, please hang up and call that agency directly to verify their identity.”

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office says their officers would never call you demanding your social security number, date of birth, bank account information, or telling you to pay a fee to avoid an arrest.