From the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office:
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office has experienced multiple reports from citizens who have received phone calls from individuals claiming to be with The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office. The person in this scenario identifies himself as Sgt. Jackson from the Sheriff’s Office.
This is a tactic often used by con artists to make it appear the victim is receiving the call from a law enforcement agency. In this scenario, the victims are being told they have outstanding arrest warrants for a failure to appear for a States Grand Jury (sic). To resolve this issue, payment must be made promptly through a pre-loaded debit card, or by a credit card. If the victim refuses to cooperate, the caller threatens arrest, deportation, etc. In many cases, the callers have been reported to have become aggressive, hostile and insulting.
These con artists can sound convincing. They use fake names and bogus identification badge numbers. They may also know a lot about the individuals they are targeting. These con artists often alter the caller ID to make it look as though a government or a law enforcement agency is actually calling.
The Sheriff’s Office, or other law enforcement agencies, will never:
-Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about debts owed without first having mailed you a notice,
-Demand that you pay debts without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed,
-Require you to use a specific payment method for your debts, such as with a prepaid debit card,
-Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone,
– Call after 5:00 pm or on weekends.
The Sheriff’s Office has an active ongoing investigation into this matter.
Click below for comments from Chief Deputy Jim Stewart, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver: