JEFFERSON COUNTY, Texas — The Jefferson County Sherriff's Office is warning residents to be vigilant of a scammer who is calling people and claiming to be a JCSO Deputy.
JCSO says they have received multiple complaints of a man making these calls and then trying to scam citizens out of their money.
The scam itself is relatively straight forward, the fake deputy calls someone and tells them that they have a warrant out for their arrest, usually for a missed jury date. However, to avoid arrest they can pay the fine up front.
In terms of payment, the scammer will usually instruct the victim to purchase a cash card (so they can't be traced) and take care of the fine by phone.
As soon as you purchase the card and give the scammer your information, your money is already gone.
The JCSO says to never immediately go to the store and purchase a cash card to pay over the phone, this is usually the first indication you are dealing with a scammer.
Remember, no law enforcement agency will never try to solicit funds over the phone for any purpose.
The JSCO says that these phone numbers appear to be coming from a 409 area code however, spoof apps can make a call seem like it is coming from anywhere.
Never give anyone personal information over the phone in any scenario, and be sure to watch for the warning signs when receiving suspicious phone calls.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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