MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents of a new phone scam that is circulating.
In the scam, callers are posing as employees of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office to deceive residents into making substantial payments under false pretenses, according to a spokesperson.
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The fraudulent callers tell residents they have failed to appear in court or have an urgent legal matter to address.
Victims are then threatened with arrest unless they make immediate payments through platforms such as PayPal, Apple Pay, money orders, and other payment methods.
Scammers are also using caller ID spoofing to make the calls appear as though the call is coming from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said the scammers can be convincing.
“They exploit fear and confusion to pressure people into compliance,” said Streck.
He said the sheriff’s office would never call residents to demand payment or threaten arrest for unpaid fines, warrants, or missed court dates.
Streck said the scammers have also been using the names of the sheriff’s office employees to make the scam seem more legitimate.
“We want residents to know this is a deliberate tactic by these criminals to make their schemes more believable,” said Streck.
He said to always verify the authenticity of any call and to never hesitate to report suspicious activity to the local police departments.
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