Escambia County Sheriff's Office: Escambia County Sheriff's Office Warns Public Of Scam

Press release from Escambia County Sheriff's Office:

January 18, 2022

Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Warns Public of Scam: A recent incident has been brought to our attention in which a scammer called a potential victim claiming to be a member of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office administration. The scammer claimed the recipient had a current warrant, and in lieu of arrest could choose to make a payment. THIS IS A SCAM! The ECSO will never contact you to collect money. The recipient became suspicious and contacted the ECSO – which is exactly what they should have done! There are multiple variations of this scam currently going around, where fraudsters will claim to be sworn law enforcement officers or employees of the ECSO. They are constantly devising new and innovative ways to take your hard-earned money. Here are a few ways you can avoid becoming a victim of fraud:

• Always be suspicious of any threatening calls claiming to be from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
• A legitimate business will not resort to threats as a first response to a late or missed payment.
• ALWAYS be suspicious when asked to send an electronic payment, “green dot” card payment, or wire transfer.
• Trust your instinct. If you feel that something “just isn’t right”, don’t give any personal or banking information to anyone over the phone. Hang up and contact your local law enforcement agency and report it. It is much easier to prevent fraud in the first place than to recover your money after the fact.

This press release was produced by Escambia County Sheriff's Office. The views expressed here are the author’s own.