Scammers Pretend To Be Police, Extort Money
- Fraudsters posed as a sheriff's sergeant and threatened arrests to extort money from Marin County residents. - Officials warn anyone contacted for money should hang up and call the Sheriff's office to verify. - No arrests were reported yet; the Sheriff's Office provided safety tips for avoiding these scams (patch.com).
Marin County residents are getting calls from scammers posing as a sheriff’s sergeant and threatening arrest unless money is paid immediately. (patch.com) The Marin County Sheriff’s Office said it received multiple reports of callers claiming to be “Sergeant Sean McKrell.” Some callers left voicemails with a callback number and a recording that said it was the sergeant’s desk. (patch.com) The warning was announced April 7, 2026, and repeated in local reports published April 9. The callers told residents they faced arrest or other legal action if they did not send money. (localnewsmatters.org) (patch.com) The scam works by borrowing the authority of a police badge and the urgency of an arrest threat. Officials said the goal is to pressure people into paying before they stop to verify whether the call is real. (sfgate.com) The sheriff’s office said real deputies do not call people to demand money, and they do not accept payment to avoid jail. Anyone who gets one of these calls is being told to hang up and contact the sheriff’s office directly using a verified number. (patch.com) Marin authorities have issued similar warnings before. In October 2022, the sheriff’s office said scam callers were demanding cash while threatening fines or arrest, and in an earlier alert it said callers were seeking money for supposed warrants and traffic citations. (patch.com) (nextdoor.com) The county has also seen other impersonation schemes aimed at older residents. Patch reported in late 2025 that scammers stole $24,000 from older Marin residents, and another report said two women lost a combined $35,000 in bail scams after handing cash to couriers. (patch.com 1) (patch.com 2) As of the sheriff’s warning this month, no arrests had been announced in the fake-sergeant case. The agency’s advice was simple: do not send money, do not trust the caller ID, and verify any claim by calling the Marin County Sheriff’s Office yourself. (patch.com)
