Deschutes County SO issues telephone scam alert
Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said Tuesday they have received information that someone has either started or re-started a telephone scam in Central Oregon, and issued a warning to avoid being ripped off.
Sgt. Vance Lawrence said a caller will identify themselves as being from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office by name and/or rank and name.
They will then say that you have missed a court date or should have gotten a subpoena to appear and failed to appear. This person will say that there is a warrant or some kind of fine related to the missed court date.
The caller will then ask how you meet them to make the payment or may want to take care of the fine asking for a debit or credit card number or ask you to go to a Western Union or similar financial wire service to satisfy a fine.
They also may tell you that if you don’t take care of this fine or warrant that a deputy will be sent to your home.
In his news release, Lawrence then drove the key point home, in all caps:
“NO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN CENTRAL OREGON WILL CALL ANY CITIZEN AND ASK FOR ANY CREDIT CARD, DEBIT CARD, OR CHECKING ACCOUNT INFORMATION. DO NOT AGREE TO MEET THIS PERSON TO MAKE A PAYMENT. DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY INFORMATION OR WIRE ANY MONEY TO A PERSON UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.”
If someone calls asking for any kind of information like this, Lawrence said, ask for a return phone number. If they give you a phone number, call your local police agency with the return phone number and they can check into it for you.
