TELEPHONE SCAM ALERT

The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office has received reports of citizens being contacted by phone about missing jury duty and having a felony warrant(s) for their arrest.  The caller has frequently identified himself as Randy Swick or Keith Muncey.  The caller has attempted to solicit payment to satisfy the terms of the "warrant".  The caller has also shown to have the capability to "clone" phone numbers, so it is possible the phone call will appear as if it is coming from the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line.  These calls are difficult to track and are commonly found to originate in countries other than the United States.  The prevention of such crimes is the most effective way to mitigate their effect.

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.