Scammers telling Beaufort Co. residents there is a warrant out for their arrest, police say
A phone call hoax in which scammers pose as police officers telling people there’s a warrant out for their arrest is going around again, Beaufort County authorities warn.
Nearly a dozen people reported to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office in the last two days that they received calls from someone posing as a sheriff’s office captain, telling them that they had missed jury duty, said Maj. Angela Viens, a sheriff’s office spokesperson. They promise to “take care of it” in exchange for money.
The common scam, which sees hoax callers using the names of actual officers, is seen in the area about once or twice a year, Viens said.
“We will never solicit money ... we don’t collect fines or penalties,” she said. “That goes through the courts.”
None of the people called reported losing any money. At least eight people found the number of the captain who was being impersonated on the sheriff’s office website and reached out to him directly. At least three other people called the sheriff’s office non-emergency dispatch number at 843-524-2777.
The best way to protect against these scams, Viens said, is by hanging up and calling local police to verify the information.
This comes after multiple elderly residents in the area reported being tricked out of thousands by scam artists in November. Over the summer, about $889,100 from 15 bank accounts linked to Beaufort County residents was targeted. In the end, the scammers were able to get $589,000 after the rest of the money had been intercepted by police, according to previous reporting by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Anyone who thinks they have been the victim of a scam or fraud may call their local police department or submit a tip to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at: https://www.ic3.gov/.
