Thursday- August 30, 2018 – 11:00 AM
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Alert
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 be a member of the Escambia Sheriff’s Office.
The scammer claimed to be an employee of the ECSO and told the recipient she had an outstanding warrant that if she did not send money by gift card or electronic transfer right away, he would issue a warrant for her arrest.
If you receive such a call, please contact the ECSO immediately 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 of any threatening calls claiming to be from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or any other business – especially if it is coming from a business that you do not normally patronize.
• A legitimate business will not resort to threats as a first response to a late or missed payment.
• ALWAYS be suspicious when asked to send an electronic payment, gift card, “green dot” card payment, or wire transfer.
• Trust your instincts. 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.
