Monroe County Alerts Residents to Phone Scam Demanding Gift Cards, Personal Data

Sheriff Troy Goodnough warned Monroe County, Mich., residents after his office received multiple reports on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, of telephone scams in which callers identified themselves as “Lieutenant Quinn of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office” and falsely told people they had outstanding warrants, missed jury duty, or failed to appear in court. The sheriff’s office and local news outlets say the callers pressured victims to pay immediately, often requesting payment by gift cards or other electronic methods.

Investigators and public alerts identify one phone number used by the scammers, 734-436-5286, and note calls also may appear as blocked numbers on caller ID. Clickondetroit and Monroe News report that scammers exploit caller ID spoofing to appear legitimate, and the sheriff’s office cautioned residents that redialing a displayed number can connect them to the fraudster rather than to the sheriff’s office.

The fraudsters have asked for sensitive personal information, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers, in addition to demanding payment, according to multiple reports. A Monroe County sheriff’s office post that warns about prepaid-card scams bluntly states, "Do NOT give the digits from a prepaid card to anyone!" and, "THIS IS A SCAM!!!" That sheriff’s office post also explains that once victims provide the card numbers, "the money will be taken instantly and, there is very little that can be done to recover your loss."

Sheriff Goodnough urged vigilance and offered concrete guidance: "Sheriff Goodnough reminded residents that law enforcement will not call and demand money under threat of arrest." Monroe News relays his advice as well: "Don't send payment by any means; government agencies don't demand payment over the phone." Monroe County Central Dispatch, the office handling reports in Monroe County, Michigan, can be reached at 734-243-7070 for residents who receive suspicious calls.

The sheriff’s office and other outlets recommend hanging up and calling known agency numbers directly rather than using redial. The sheriff’s office post that includes the instruction, "EVEN IF THE PHONE NUMBER ON YOUR CALLER I.D. LOOKS LIKE OUR PHONE NUMBER, scammers know how to spoof a caller I.D. number," also advises, "Because of this, when you use redial, you are NOT calling us, you are actually calling the fake number hidden behind the number displayed. DO NOT USE REDIAL!!" That particular post lists a callback number of (812) 349-2780, a detail readers should note as it corresponds to a different Monroe County jurisdiction and underscores the geographic spread of similar scams.

Local outlets including Clickondetroit, Monroe News, WDEF, and a CBS aggregation have reported related warnings, with some accounts noting Publishers Clearing House impersonations alongside law-enforcement impersonation tactics. The Monroe County sheriff’s office says it is receiving reports and urges anyone targeted by these calls to report them to central dispatch at 734-243-7070 and to refuse to provide prepaid card digits, Social Security numbers, banking information, or other personal data.