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HART — The Hart post of the Michigan State Police is warning residents that there is a phone scam targeting sex offender registrants.
The Oceana County Sheriff’s Office notified residents of a similar scam last August.
The caller is claiming to be ‘Trooper Callahan,’ who does not exist, said MSP Sgt. Cuevas. “He is claiming to be assigned to the Michigan State Police, Hart post, and targeting people on the sex offender registry, saying they are not in compliance and they have unsettled fines or fees.”
The caller threatens to arrest the person he’s calling if they don’t pay him.
“Always feel free to call dispatch and verify that the person calling you is truly with that department,” Sgt. Cuevas advises. Mason-Oceana Central Dispatch’s non-emergency phone number is 231-869-5858.
The scammer is targeting people throughout the Hart post coverage area, which encompasses Oceana, Mason, Lake and Newaygo counties, he said.
“It’s a bad actor or bad actors attempting to victimize people in our community. We’re getting a large amount of phone calls.”
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