MORGANTOWN — Someone is calling and scamming residents of Monongalia County pretending to be Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Al Kisner.
Kisner said the scammer has used two different numbers, 304-341-4018 and 304-220-8595. In both instances they identified themselves as Kisner before telling the victims they had a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty and they would need to send money to avoid arrest.
One person paid the scammer $2,000 and another attempted to turn themselves in at the Sheriff’s Department on Friday.
The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department does not call people and say there is a warrant for their arrest for missing jury duty – because that’s not how it works. If a person misses jury duty they might be picked up and taken before a judge but there is no arrest warrant and the department certainly doesn’t ask for money over the phone, Kisner said.
Sheriff Perry Palmer said people should never give money out over the phone. The victim in this instance used MoneyGram. Scammers also frequently request people purchase Green Dot pre-paid credit cards and give them the number over the phone.
If in doubt about the legitimacy of a call, hang up and call back using an official number found on an organization’s website or in the phone book, Palmer said.
Even if the number appears to be legitmate, it could be a scam. There are computer programs that allow phone numbers to be spoofed. People have even received scam calls from their own telephone number.
Unwanted calls are the number one complaint received by the Federal Communications Commission, according to its website.
Some scammers use computer programs to dial hundreds of numbers at a time and it only takes one or two victims to make it worth the effort, Palmer said.
Phone scams should be reported to a person’s local law enforcement agency and the FCC at 888-CALL-FCC.
