Sheriff warns of current scams during event in Coeur d'Alene

COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris held a Community Conversation event to discuss end of summer season statistics, as well as local scams Wednesday.  

Norris reported that from Memorial Day to Labor Day, there were no vessel-related deaths, critical injuries or vessel-on-vessel crashes on Kootenai County waterways — a notable statistic, as Kootenai County lakes and rivers see the busiest summers in the state. 

Norris and his team also highlighted the various scams that are targeting residents in Kootenai County. One scam involves a scammer calling potential victims and telling them they missed jury duty, or failed to pay a traffic violation, and will be arrested if money isn’t sent via wire transfer or cryptocurrency.  

“We will never call you on these things,” said Norris. “No governmental agency would ever ask you to use an ATM.” 

Norris also issued a “call to action” for members of the community to protect one another against scams, which he warned are only going to get worse.  

“I’m asking each of you to tell 10 of your friends and neighbors about this. We are just not reaching a portion of the population through social media,” he said.  

Norris also addressed questions from community members on topics ranging from substance abuse in Kootenai County to illegal immigration.  

Norris said fentanyl is currently law enforcement’s most pressing issue, and the sheriff’s office has a team working to combat the deadly drug. According to Norris, Kootenai County has the highest rate of recovered narcotics by their K-9 team in the state.  

Norris reiterated his administration’s stance on illegal immigration, saying, “I believe that if someone is here illegally, we should ship them out.”