Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis issued a warning to residents after learning about an ongoing telephone scam in which scammers pose as sheriff’s deputies and threaten to arrest the victim if they do not pay a fine.
The caller may identify themselves as a law enforcement officer who claims the victim is about to be arrested for not paying a fine. The scammer will tell the victim they can avoid being arrested by paying the fine. The scammer will then walk the victim through paying the “fine” by buying a prepaid debit or gift card or making an electronic payment to satisfy the “fine.”
These scammers often provide convincing information, including the real name and location of the courthouse, court phone numbers, and case and badge numbers. The scammers may include information such as a potential victim’s maiden name, work address, home address, and date of birth. In some cases, they may even spoof the phone number from the sheriff’s office. The people conducting this scam can be persuasive.
Residents should always be hesitant to provide personally identifying information over the phone, via text message, or email, Davis said.
He added that the Henry County Sheriff’s Office does not collect fines. Deputies will not contact residents and demand payment or personal information by phone or email. Law enforcement officers will never ask for a credit card or debit card number, wire transfers, or bank routing number over the phone.
The sheriff’s office also will not call residents and ask for any monetary donations over the telephone or via email.
Davis and his office try to keep the public informed on what types of scams are taking place and remind residents that most scams originate from outside the United States. If you question a phone call or letter, please call law enforcement before acting on its instructions.
Anyone who has been victimized by a scam or has information on suspected scammers is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at (276) 638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2,500 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
