The County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new phone scam that carries a new twist.
Sheriff’s spokesman, Tony Cipolla said, “Recently, the Sheriff’s Office has received reports from individuals who say they were contacted by someone claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office. In these calls, the scammer typically tells the victim there is a warrant for their arrest and demands immediate payment to avoid being taken into custody.”
The twist comes when the scammers name an official in their spiel.
“In an effort to appear more credible,” Cipolla said, “scammers have been using the names of actual Sheriff’s Office employees.
“What sets this scam apart is that the victims are directed to a website to pay an alleged fine. That website, slocso.org, is fraudulent and designed to closely mimic the official Sheriff’s Office website.
“While it appears nearly identical, the fake site includes a payment option that does not exist on the legitimate website.”
Cipolla said they want to make it perfectly clear — this is a scam. The Sheriff’s Office and police agencies don’t phone in warnings to people with warrants, they send out the warrant squad in person.
“The Sherriff’s Office will never contact individuals by phone to demand money, request payment for bail, or resolve warrants.”
The real Sheriff’s Office website is: slosheriff.org.
Anyone who receives a call of this nature should hang up immediately and report the incident to their local law enforcement agency, Cipolla said.
Residents should tell their friends, neighbors and family about this scam to help spread the word and foil these dastardly criminals.
