DeKalb County, Ala., Sheriff Jimmy HarrisA scammer has been posing as officials with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Payne, Ala., according a news release.
DCSO Sheriff Jimmy Harris said the agency has received numerous calls today reporting the scam phone call.
The number calling is 256-273-5618, and during the call, a male advises the person that he is an investigator or Lieutenant Wilson with the DCSO and he is calling because the person missed his or her summons for jury duty.
The scammer then instructs the person to go to either Dollar General or CVS and purchase agreen punch card, load $500 onto the card and bring it to the sheriff’s office or a warrant for arrest will be issued.
Once the person has the card, the scammer instructs the person to call the number back for further instructions on where to send the money. Calls to the number go to an answering service that claims to be the DCSO and prompts the caller to press numbers for different divisions.
“This number is NOT the correct number for the office,” Harris said in a statement. “This number is set up by the scammers in order to make the caller believe they are actually speaking to our office.”
This number is a VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) number that could be based anywhere in the world with internet access.
Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson said, “I would like to remind everyone that the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office will never contact anyone demanding money,” Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson said. “Please remember to never give your personal information to anyone over the phone. If you receive a call from this or any number with this same scam, hang up immediately and contact the Sheriff’s Office at 256-845- 3801.”