The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about fraudulent phone calls from scammers impersonating current and former employees.
According to the office, callers use real employee names, legitimate addresses and other publicly available information to appear credible. They use threats, pressure and claims of immediate consequences to persuade residents to act quickly.
The Sheriff’s Office said it will never call residents to demand payment over the phone or request gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment through apps.
The alert identifies several scams, including demands for payment over alleged bench warrants, missed jury duty or court appearances. Other schemes involve claims that registered individuals must provide DNA samples or pay with gift cards, requests for donations while impersonating law enforcement, and offers to recover sheriff’s sale surplus funds for a fee.
Residents should not assume a caller is legitimate because they know personal information or an employee’s name. Scammers can also disguise their phone numbers.
The office advises residents to hang up and block fraudulent callers, avoid sharing personal or financial information, and report suspicious calls to local law enforcement.
Anyone who has lost money to a scam should contact their financial institution and local law enforcement immediately. Acting quickly may help limit financial losses.
Photo credits to Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
