MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE – Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong is asking you to be aware of yet another phone scam. The criminal is posing as a current deputy of the Sheriff’s Office telling people they will be arrested due to an outstanding warrant, or missed jury duty, or a number of other fraudulent claims unless the person they are calling pays thousands of dollars in fines.
We’ve shared numerous posts about this and similar phone scams. PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THIS!!
Sheriff’s deputies and personnel may call individuals about routine business, but you will NEVER be asked to provide payment by way of bank account information, gift cards, Green Dot Visa cards, bitcoin, or any other method of payment over the phone. We will also NOT ask you to meet at a random location to pay a fine! These calls are coming from phone numbers that are generated via the Internet. They also use number spoofing to make it look as if the call is coming from a legitimate organization.
There are ways to combat this nefarious activity, including the following:
– Don’t pick up calls from unknown numbers.
– Install a spam blocking app on your cell phone.
– Put your number on the “do not call” registry, accessible at https://www.donotcall.gov/ .
– Protect your personal data.
We are asking you again to share this information with your friends and family who may not be tuned into social media. We do not want to see anyone victimized by these criminals!