Phone Scam Being Run By Man Claiming To Be Sheriff's Official

PINELLAS COUNTY — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is urging the public to be on the alert for a phone scam occurring in Pinellas County.

The man is calling residents in Pinellas County and identifying himself as a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office employee.

According to deputies, on Saturday, the man called multiple residents and identified himself as "Sgt. Melvin Jackson.

In two other incidents, he identified himself as "Capt. Jake Lukes" and "Capt. Zack Lewis."

After identifying himself as a fictitious Pinellas County Sheriff's Office employee, the man tells the residents that they have an outstanding warrant and then requests the residents bring large amounts of cash to the sheriff's administration building in Largo or purchase a Green Dot mobile bank account card and send him a photo of the serial number.

The man is calling from the following local and out-of-state phone numbers: 727-308-3891 and 470-952-8879.

The sheriff's office said it will never call residents requesting money over the phone. Residents are advised not to give personal information or account information over the phone and report it to the sheriff's office at 727-6200 if they receive one of these calls.