Area law enforcement agencies warn of latest telephone scam targeting residents
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 12/04/2017 - 12:00pm
Local law enforcement agencies are warning of a telephone fraud operation where the scammers are identifying themselves as law officers, telling citizens they face going to jail due to missed court dates and then asking for credit card numbers to pay fines.
Last week Lyon County Sheriff’s Office warned citizens of the scam via a news release and on Monday, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office sent its own scam warning to residents.
Telephone scams where the caller identifies themselves and local law enforcement have happened to residents in Carson City. The Carson City Sheriff's Office has issued similar warnings in the past.
“These calls are phone scams and the callers are trying to obtain personal information from those they are calling,” said DCSO Sgt. Bernadette Smith. “The calls may appear local on the resident’s caller ID, but they may be computer ‘spoofed’ to show a local number.”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office never calls the public to notify them that they owe money on a warrant or fine, said Smith. The public is encouraged to hang up on those calls and never give out personal information on the phone.
In Lyon County, victims of the scam who do not answer their phone report receiving a call back number that provides instructions on how to automatically make a payment. The scammers have been identifying themselves as either Sgt. Tommy Smith or Capt. Dan Brown, according to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
