Norfolk County, MA — The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new phone scam in which callers falsely claim people owe money on past-due Paycheck Protection Program loans and must pay a “surety bond.”
According to the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office, the agency has received numerous calls over the last couple of days from people who said they were contacted by someone pretending to be from the sheriff’s office about outstanding “PPP loans.” Officials said the callers allegedly tell residents the loans are overdue and demand money to resolve the issue.
Authorities said the scammers are also sending fraudulent documents designed to look official in an apparent effort to make the claims appear legitimate. The sheriff’s office stressed that it does not make calls of this kind, and local police departments do not contact people to demand payment for supposed overdue federal loan obligations.
Residents are being urged not to send money to anyone making these claims. Officials also asked anyone who receives one of the calls to report it to their local police department.
The scam appears to reference the federal Paycheck Protection Program, a Small Business Administration loan initiative created to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program ended in May 2021.
Law enforcement officials said the mention of PPP loans may be intended to confuse people who remember the pandemic-era program and make the scam sound credible. The sheriff’s office is reminding the public to be cautious when receiving unexpected calls involving threats, urgent payment demands or official-sounding financial claims.
Anyone uncertain about a call’s legitimacy should contact the agency directly using a publicly listed phone number rather than responding to the caller or any documents sent.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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