The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff last week took a report from an East County resident who became a victim of this scam.
Here is generally how the scam works. Residents receive a phone call from a person who identifies himself as an employee of the Sheriff’s Office. The caller tells the residents that there are warrants for their arrest because they missed jury duty. The caller directed the residents to pay money clear the warrants.
This scam is not new. There are different variations of this. Recent scams involved the IRS or unpaid parking tickets. This pops up every now and then and usually targets the elderly.
The suspect attempts to make this appear legitimate by giving phony names or real names of employees, addresses of some of our offices, and fake case or warrant numbers. Don’t fall for it.
Usually the suspect goes on to say the warrant could be cleared by getting a prepaid debit card or gift card at various local stores.
THIS IS A SCAM. The Office of the Sheriff does not have people pay fines or fees by through reloadable prepaid cards. Furthermore, the public is never contacted in this way.
Anyone receiving such a call should refuse to provide any personal information to the caller or simply hang up. Please contact your local law enforcement agency and notify them of the incident.
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5 comments
I’ve had a few such calls. I get into a conversation with the caller … and I listen ….. and then I tell them where to go.
If you buy pre paid gift cards to clear a ticket or warrant, you deserve it. The law doesn’t call you up for money, they come and get you.
The elderly “do not deserve it.” They can get confused by their medications, age related, etc. What a stupid thing to say. Did you read the article, or do you lack empathy for the elderly?
The elderly must be warned repeatedly about this. If they visit the Senior Centers or live in assistant living facilities, those who run them should make sure that people are informed of such criminal tactics. I drum this into my grandparents repeatedly until they truly understand it. There is another scam going around. Someone calls and says “Can you hear me?” DO NOT ANSWER THEM AND HANG UP IMMEDIATELY. If you say, “Yes” — they can isolate that word and use it go purchase all sorts of things and then bill you for it.
My cousin Tara Cossey was murdered by a man in contra Costa county back in 1971, his name is Jackie Holverter. She was 11 yrs old back then. We have never found her body. Has anyone found the young remains of a child. She would be half Indian and half white. Please respond with any information. Thank You.
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