TOM GREEN COUNTY, Texas — Another set of scammers is at work trying to convince Tom Green County residents to send them money by threatening arresting them.
The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office sent an alert Friday to tell residents about a recent flurry of imposter scams involving people claiming to be Tom Green County deputies or other law enforcement officials.
These scams have resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars, the TGCSO said.
During the calls, scammers try to collect a fine instead of arrest making various claims such as failing to report for jury duty, failing to appear as a witness or having outstanding warrants. They tell victims they can avoid being arrested by withdrawing cash and transferring it to the caller, purchasing a prepaid debit card or gift card and reading the number over the phone to satisfy the fine, or other means of electronic money transfers.
Scammers use different tactics to sound and appear credible and sometimes provide information such as badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials, judges and addresses of judicial offices. They also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency or the court.
The sheriff's office never solicits funds or payment over the phone.
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.
If you receive a call you think is a scam, the best thing to do is hang up.
If you're a victim of one of these scams, contact the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office at 325-655-8111.
