(Walhalla, SC)-------------------------------------In our continuing efforts to educate and inform our citizens, and to prevent them from becoming victims of scams, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is releasing today our August 2024 Scams Update.
The Sheriff’s Office continues to receive some reports of law enforcement related scams. This week, dispatch and Deputies received report that citizens were receiving scam calls with the callers claiming to be law enforcement officers. The scammers told the citizens that they had missed jury duty and were requesting payment to be made in order for charges to be dropped or dismissed.
In one instance, a citizen was asked to go to a local store in order to pay a $4,000 surety bond, according to a Deputy. The money was not paid.
Recently, a citizen stopped by the Sheriff’s Office and told a Deputy that she had received a call from someone claiming to be Sgt. Davis. The Sheriff’s Office main non-emergency line was spoofed.
The victim was told that she had missed jury duty and that warrants had been obtained for her arrest unless a fine was paid. The victim wanted to come by the Law Enforcement Center and speak directly to someone there. However, the scammer told her that if she did that, she would be arrested and her phone would be seized.
The scammer told her that she could avoid arrest and pay the fine via a mobile app. The victim sent the scammer $3,500.00. The victim later came to the Sheriff’s Office and discovered that the call was a scam.
“We have reported on law enforcement related scams in recent Scam Updates and we have continued to receive these reports,” according to Master Deputy Jimmy Watt, Public Information Officer for the Sheriff’s Office. “In some cases, the actual names of employees of the Sheriff’s Office are used.”
“Always remember a couple of basic rules when it comes to law enforcement related scams. First, law enforcement officers will not ask for, or accept payment, in order to drop charges or have an arrest warrant recalled. Secondly, always remember that if someone asks you to make a payment via a usual method, such as using a gift card or Bitcoin, go ahead and automatically presume it is a scam,” says Master Deputy Watt.
In another scam reported to the Sheriff’s Office, Deputies spoke with two victims of a scam where the victims received a call from someone claiming to be their Pastor, who was asking for money for a group of individuals. The victims were advised to send money via gift cards. The couple sent a grand total of $1,800.00.
The gift cards were turned over to the Sheriff’s Office.
“A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you receive a call, text or any type of message from someone you know, and they are asking for a large amount of money that seems unusual, contact that person directly to see if they tried to reach out to you in regards to this request,” says Master Deputy Watt. “It can save you a lot of headaches and the loss of your money as it will be extremely difficult to recoup your losses. Always remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
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