MORGANTOWN — There’s a scammer calling people and pretending to be a Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputy, Sheriff Perry Palmer said.
“People need to be aware,” he said.
Palmer said the department has received several reports about the person who is identifying himself as Deputy Bise, a real deputy.
Scammers sometimes find the names of law enforcement officers in the media or online and use the name to make the scam appear to be legitimate, he said.
One individual was taken for $250 this week, Palmer said.
This scammer has also used Bise’s name to try to get personal information from a doctor’s office.
The scammer tells people they missed jury duty and a warrant is going out for their arrest and to avoid that, they have to go get a pre-paid “green dot” card and call back with the PIN, Palmer explained.
Similar scams tell the victim he or she has a warrant out for their arrest or they have an unpaid citation.
Palmer said law enforcement will never ask for money over the phone and all warrants and citations must be dealt with through the court system.
When in doubt, hang up and call law enforcement, he said.
People who receive scam calls should always report them to local law enforcement agencies, Palmer said. He said nine-out-of-10 times the number is from an untraceable, disposable phone, but victims should still give that number to the police.
He also said if the scammer gives a P.O. Box to send money to, that should be reported as well.
Tweet Will Dean @WillDean_DP; wdean@domininionpost.com
