TOM GREEN COUNTY, Texas — The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office is advising the public to be aware of recent telephone scams where people posing as county or law enforcement officials in an attempt to collect (or extort) money.
To try to add credibility to the schemes, scammers may pretend to be attorneys, judges or law enforcement officers. Some recent complaints say people have spoofed local phone numbers, making them seem to be coming from a legitimate entity.
The calls have included threats to show up at the intended victim's home if they don't pay money for "legal fees", "court fees" or other fines related to law enforcement.
The fraudulent callers often target the elderly.
The sheriff's office is encouraging the public to be alert for such scams and to safeguard family members against these scams by being alert.
Safety tips include:
- Never trust caller ID alone, the displayed telephone number may be manipulated.
- Always consider sending unsolicited or unknown phone calls to voicemail Many scam call centers will not leave a message.
- Never click on links contained in unsolicited emails or text messages. The links may route you to fake websites or deploy malicious software.
- Protect your personal and financial information. Never provide this information in response to unsolicited text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be a government agency.
These calls are hard to track and are commonly found to be from countries outside the United States. The prevention of such crimes is the most effective way to mitigate their effect.