Los Angeles, Ca
Scammers posing as deputies increasingly targeting Southern California residents
A disturbing new trend is targeting Southern Californians as scammers are now masquerading as local law enforcement.
Although these phone scams have been around for some time, modern versions have grown increasingly sophisticated and convincing to unsuspecting victims.
The scam call will often sound authoritative and create a sense of urgency. That’s the type of voicemail Carolyn Jaques received one day while working at her spa in Pasadena.
“The first thing you think is, ‘Someone’s injured or there’s been a car accident,’” Jaques said.
So she immediately called the number back and a man picked up the phone.
“I say, ‘Is everything okay?’” Jaques said. “And he said, “Everything is all right, ma’am, but you have a warrant. I’m calling to let you know we have a warrant for your arrest.’”
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The Pasadena Courthouse located on East Walnut Street. (KTLA) -
The entrance to the Pasadena Police Department. (KTLA)
Jaques knew that wasn’t possible. She hadn’t committed any crimes. But the caller remained persistent.
“They have a way of talking to you like, ‘I’m in charge,’ and they had it down,” she said. “I thought that they were cops.”
The caller insisted that Jaques would face a hefty fine or possible incarceration for failing to appear in court for jury duty. They claimed someone from her home address had previously signed a certified letter sent from the court.
The caller eventually connected Jaques to another line where a second man picked up, claiming to be a deputy.
“He kept repeating my address at home and he kept telling me, ‘You cannot go home. We have squad cars waiting at your home,’” Jaques recalled.
The caller told Jaques to stay on the line and forbade her to speak to anyone else. He instructed her to immediately head to the Pasadena Courthouse located on East Walnut Street.
Jaques was reluctant to leave her spa as she still had customers who were present. They were staring at Jaques with concern at this point.
“He said, ‘You have to come now. Who are you talking to? Anyone you talk to can be an accessory because at this moment, ma’am, you are a fugitive. Do not talk to any of these people,’” Jaques said.
Still hesitant, Jaques searched the caller’s phone number online and surprisingly, the number matched the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s.
“The most bizarre thing was the fact that they had the website. And I’m looking at the website with the number in my phone, while this man is yelling at me and threatening my clients and my family,” Jaques said.
Her husband eventually drove her to the courthouse while the caller insisted she remain on the line.
“He said, ‘Wait a minute, if you step one foot into that station with this warrant, you will be immediately arrested,’” she recalled. “He said, ‘So you must pay your fine first and then you can go and clarify your signature and once you do, you’ll be refunded. Then I said, ‘Well, how much is this fine?’ And he said $1,850 and I said, ‘That is appalling.’”
Exhausted, Jaques hung up the phone and walked into the courthouse, preparing to surrender to authorities. However, that’s when she discovered that none of it was real.
“What the scammer wants to do is put the fear of life in you,” said Lt. Monica Cuellar from the Pasadena Police Department.
Cuellar said scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
“They use a software that will put that particular business number on your phone,” Cuellar explained. “So when you receive it, you’re looking at the phone, and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s from the Pasadena Police Department.’”
By the time Jaques realized what had happened and that she wasn’t a fugitive after all, the scammer had already moved on to someone else. The next victim happened to be Jaques’ friend.
“A friend of mine was scammed $1,200,” Jaques said.
That scam followed a similar script involving legal threats. The callers had instructed her friend to visit the nearest Coinstar Bitcoin Machine to pay the fraudulent fine they were threatening her with.
“Then they said, ‘All right, you can make your payment here. This is your warrant number,’ but obviously it was their Bitcoin account number.”
Jaques is still unclear as to how the scammers accessed her personal information but believes it may have been through voter registration logs.
Generally speaking, voter registration records are public. In California, however, the records are harder to obtain, but there are plenty of online services that may sell your personal data for a small fee.
As these scams continue targeting residents in the Southland, authorities are warning the public to watch out for red flags before cooperating or handing over any cash.
“No law enforcement department is going to call you and demand and pressure you for any sort of payment ever,” Cuellar said. “That will never happen. Do not give any personal information. Do not give any credit card information. Do not give any bank account information. The best thing to do? Hang up.”
Anyone who may have been targeted or victimized in a similar crime is asked to report the incident to their local law enforcement agencies.
The future of voice to text is here.
I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.
If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!
Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.
Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.
Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)
Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.
Don’t want to tie up your phone?
I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.
The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.
The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.
Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.
You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.
Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.
Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?
My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.
On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.
And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.
Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.
One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.
Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.
It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.
Enjoy your newfound time!
An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.
The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”
The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.
“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.
The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.
Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.
Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.
A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.
“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.
Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.
MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.
“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.
Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.
More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.
The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.
“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.
Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.
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