06/17/2019—The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Sex Offender Unit has been made aware of a telephone scam that is targeting registered sex offenders in an effort to extort money. When the registered sex offender is contacted, the caller claims to be a sex offender compliance officer, and in some cases, uses a specific officer's name associated with a law enforcement agency. The caller then informs the registered sex offender they are non-compliant and will be arrested if they fail to pay a specific fine.
The victim is instructed to obtain iTunes or MoneyPak cards with a specific dollar amount. Once the cards are obtained, the caller instructs the victim to provide the unique number on the back of the card(s). In some cases, the caller informs the victim they have additional fines and arrest warrant fees in an effort to collect more money. The scammer can either drain the cash on the card or sell the card online once they obtain the cards serial numbers.
This scam has resulted in almost $30,000 having been extorted from the victims based on reported incidents in Texas. The CBI is aware of one local agency in Colorado reporting a similar type of scam involving several registered sex offenders with that specific agency.