Sharp County Chief Deputy Kevin “Bart” Simpson and Sharp County Sheriff Shane Russell are warning residents of a scam which some citizens have fallen prey to.
Simpson stated the sheriff’s department was notified Jan. 3, that an individual was calling residents pretending to be a representative of the sheriff’s department.
“We have someone calling people telling them they have a warrant. He is portraying himself as an investigator with the Sharp County Sheriff’s Office,” Simpson said.
The caller leaves a phone number and when the victim returns the call, every effort by the scammer is made to make the scam appear legitimate.
“There is a phone number and when you call the number back, there is a voicemail stating he’s detective Bennett with the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department,” Simpson said.
Sharp County Sheriff Shane Russell said this is absolutely not how the Sheriff’s Department conducts business and those who may suspect they have been targeted should contact the sheriff’s department.
“This is a scam please don’t fall for it. We do not operate in that capacity. If we did call someone and tell them they had a warrant there is no possible way we would take a card over the phone or tell you to go down to the local store and get a gift card and put $500 and then tell you to call me back and give me the numbers,” Russell said. “That does not happen. 90 percent of our warrants are taken care of in person.”
Scams on the rise are not unique to Sharp County. Fulton County Sheriff Jake Smith stated his department has also been receiving complaints from residents in Fulton County.
“We’ve gotten complaints, some scammers are claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service or local law enforcement,” Smith said. “We’ve had multiple victims… If they get a call from someone who that says they’re police, it is okay and appropriate to ask for verification.”
Smith said he would encourage anyone who feels they may be a potential victim of a scam to contact the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.
“If they are not sure, It is appropriate to ask for a call back number. If they’re unsure that’s the best thing to do and any legitimate law enforcement officer will not have a problem with that,” Smith said. “If someone says they’re a cop and the person want to verify, get a call back number to verify who is on the other end of that phone. If they’re not okay with over the phone verification, they can request and in person meeting and they can’t to the bottom of that and know if the caller is a legitimate law enforcement agent.”
Lauren is a an award-winning journalist who decided after 10 years of newspaper experience to venture out. Hallmark Times was born.
