Escambia Sheriff’s Office Warns Public of Possible Scam
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Investigators would like to remind the public to be on alert for scammers using various methods to defraud you and/or your family members.
A recent incident was brought to our attention in which the scammer called the potential victim and claimed to have kidnapped a family member or to be holding a person they knew against their will. They would only let the person go if money was transferred to the “kidnapper”. The potential victims immediately contacted the ECSO and the person being said to have been taken against their will was okay and knew nothing about the phone call or scam.
If you receive such a call, please contact the sheriff’s office and report it. Do not send any money or provide your personal or financial information.
There are multiple variations of this scam currently going around, and fraudsters are constantly devising new and innovative ways to take your hard-earned money. Here are a few ways you can avoid becoming a victim of fraud:
- ALWAYS be suspicious when asked to send an electronic payment, “green dot” card payment, gift card payment, or wire transfer.
- Trust your instinct. If you feel that something “just isn’t right”, call your local law enforcement agency and report it. It is much easier to prevent fraud in the first place than to recover your money after the fact.
