Source: delawarepublic.org 7/5/23
A new phone scam targeting people on Delaware’s sex offender registry has drawn the attention of Delaware’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
Last week, reports of the bizarre phone scam reached Delaware’s Sex Offender Management Board, which includes representatives from law enforcement, behavioral health treatment providers and the Office of Public Defense.
Board Chair Robert Hudson says the callers, posing as law enforcement, told targets they had failed to register as sex offenders and warrants had been issued for their arrest. According to the callers, those warrants could be resolved if their targets paid a fine.
“The only way to take care of this was for them to take $2,000 to a Royal Farms and put it into Crypto to make this payment,” he said.
Going on the Delaware registry I see there phone numbers are public information I don’t see why that is, it only leads for the potential of abuse as you see here.
And of course I imagine Delaware Police department don’t lift a finger to track these people down except to post send on this press release meanwhile people will continue to exploit the vulnerable population on the registry.
Eventually someone must figure out a way to sue the police department for listing phone numbers of registered citizens until that day comes these scams will continue.
Target. Yes. Precisely why SOR demands knowledge of internet identification, email addresses etc. The ” voluntarily given” string of data becomes the target to look or search for. Thus when WISOR demanded an email I created one just for them. I then put certain questions to SOR Agent about DOC’s intended use for that data in the context of felony FTR indictment (classH).
The line has changed some over time, because WI at first claimed no desire or intent to communicate by email with registrants.
Q: Agent why ask for a person’s personal email addresses if you’ve no intent to communicate with it?
Q: Agent Do you intend to communicate with the registrant with every email address provided to WIDOCSOR?
Q: Agent are registered persons required to answer email communications with WIDOCSOR?
I make a point to highlight the fact the citizen felon has their personal information stored on Government database and made available for free for public’s use. Some of the data contained therein is not available to the public.( The “not available” is important! Why?) This line undermines the intent of the presumably benevolent SOR collective. Why claim collect data in the publics interest then not share it freely with the public?
Precisely because of an inherent risk associated with unfettered use ( access) of the system.
Crypto phone scam is just another use of the ubiquitous machine. WI placed a notice of scam in registry forms a few years back. That too is jury fodder in FTR context. Self defense is a form of affirmative defense.
I’m on the California registry and a scammer in California tried to get some money out of me. He posed as a sheriff’s department detective. He must have gotten my parents’ phone number through a public records search and called my mother, who then called me in a panic. When I called this guy, it because pretty clear to me that that he was a scammer although it was fun to play along with him for a while. I did report this attempt to the local police and a detective did call me back seeking the phone number of this turkey. He said he would give him a phone call although I have no idea if he actually ever followed through on that promise.
One thing the police detective made clear to me is an object lesson all registrants: if a warrant has been issued for your arrest, the police will NOT call inform you. They will just come to your home address and arrest you without any warning.
A registrant’s information in the wrong hands, what could possibly go wrong. Time for the registry to go into the history books as a dismal failure.
The registry is scam. Full stop.
I got the scammer call last week. I hung up on him, he called back threatening to arrest me. I hung up again.
Contacted the 290 OIC and he told me what I already knew. They will never call me if they need me, they will come get me or wait until my next registration depending upon the level of need.
But….. the question remains… how did they get my number?