SALT LAKE CITY — Phone scams involving fake arrest warrants continue to target unsuspecting victims, but authorities say they have identified a suspect in one such case.
These scams typically involve callers who falsely claim to represent a local law enforcement agency. Victims are told a warrant has been issued for their arrest—often for failing to appear for jury duty—and are pressured to make an immediate payment to avoid jail time.
On Friday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office requested an arrest warrant for Andre Marquise Hofman, 30, of Oakdale, Louisiana, in connection with an alleged warrant scam.
Hofman is charged in 3rd District Court with theft by deception and communications fraud, both third-degree felonies, as well as impersonating a police officer, a class B misdemeanor.
According to charging documents, a victim contacted the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office in April asking to speak with a captain who, investigators later confirmed, did not exist. The man reported receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a sheriff’s deputy who told him he had missed jury duty.
The caller instructed the victim to send $2,900 through Apple Pay and then visit the sheriff’s office to resolve the issue. Upon arriving, the man learned he had been scammed.
Investigators traced the phone number and Apple Pay account used in the scheme to Hofman. Prosecutors have since requested a warrant for his arrest.
