SCAM ALERT - TGSO WILL NOT CONTACT YOU AND REQUEST MONEY VIA THE TELEPHONE

The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office is alerting the public of a recent flurry of imposter scams involving individuals claiming to be Tom Green County Deputies or other law enforcement officials.  These scams have resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars.   

During these calls, scammers attempt to collect a fine instead of arrest due to various claims such as failing to report for jury duty, failing to appear as a witness, or having outstanding warrants.   They then tell victims they can avoid arrest by withdrawing cash and transferring it to the caller, purchasing a prepaid debit card or gift card, and reading the number over the phone to satisfy the fine, or other means of electronic money transfers.   

Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible.   They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials, judges, and even addresses of various judicial offices.    They may also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency or the court.     

The Sheriff's Office will not solicit funds or payment over the phone. Safety tips to employ include:

• Never trust caller ID alone, the displayed telephone number may be manipulated.
• Always consider sending unsolicited or unknown phone calls to voicemail.  Many scam call centers will not leave a message. 
• Never click on links contained in unsolicited emails or text messages.  The links may route you to fake websites or deploy malicious software.
• Protect your personal and financial information.  Never provide this information in response to unsolicited text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be a government agency.  

If you receive a call of such a nature, the best action is to hang up.  If you have become a victim of one of these scams, please contact the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office at 325.655.8111.