Scammers make $3,000 by claiming to be sheriff's office, Sioux Falls Police say

The Sioux Falls Police Department is warning the public about a scam that saw two individuals lose $3,000 between them.

The first fraud report came in Friday morning before a second person also reported to police they'd been scammed later that day, according to Sgt. Robert Forster.

The victims told police that scammers called them claiming to be from the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office and that the victims had missed jury duty. The victims were told to pay a fee or risk being arrested, Forster said.

More Argus911: Sioux Falls homebuyer scammed out of nearly $50,000, police say.

One victim paid $1,000 and the other paid $2,000 to the scammers. The payments were accepted via Paypal and through a debit card, Forster said.

The victims eventually contacted police after realizing they'd been scammed. Forster said police and the sheriff's office never ask for payments over the phone and if someone suspects they're being scammed the best thing to do is inform police before sending any money.

This scam was the first reported to police over the weekend with a second major fraud reported on Sunday that involved scammers pretending to be a title company via email.

Got a story idea from your community? Email reporter Alfonzo Galvan at agalvan@argusleader.com or follow him on Twitter @GalvanReports.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 2 people scammed via phone out of $3,000, Sioux Falls Police say