MCSO reminds locals about law enforcement scams

MUSCOGEE COUNTY, Georgia (WRBL) – The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office is warning locals not to fall victim to law enforcement identity fraud scams.

Identity fraud scams are among the most common scams that can lead to financial ruin for victims. Typically, a person contacts the potential victim pretending to work for a law enforcement agency.

In the scams, which can be carried out over the phone, via text message, email or mail, the scammer claims that the potential victim either has a warrant for their arrest or has failed to serve on a jury. Regardless of how the scammers pose as police officers, they all demand payment in some form, whether it’s by requesting a gift card, bank details or other personal information.

Unfortunately, some scammers go so far as to tell families of parolees that they are in danger of being arrested and demand money to prevent their loved ones from being arrested. To be safe, the Georgia Attorney General’s Office has provided tips on how to avoid becoming a victim:

• Law enforcement agencies do not solicit payments over the telephone, do not allow telephone agreements to quash a warrant, and will never solicit payments as a plea for clemency.
• No government agency or law enforcement agency will ever ask you to make payments using gift cards, Green Dot MoneyPaks or mobile payment apps.
• In most cases, officers will not call you when there is a warrant out for your arrest. They will usually come to your home to serve the warrant in person.
• Spelling, grammatical, or other errors in a letter claiming to be from a government or law enforcement agency are warning signs of a scam.
• Before responding to a law enforcement contact threatening you or demanding money, hang up and then call the law enforcement agency’s verified phone number to determine if the call was legitimate.

The sheriff’s office states that they will not request money over the phone for any reason; nor will payments be accepted via email or mail. Warrants and other official documents are delivered in person by MCSO officers.