Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader last week issued a warning to local residents: scammers are once again impersonating employees of the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to defraud the community. The Sheriff urged residents to remain vigilant and not fall victim to these deceptive tactics.

According to Sheriff Schrader, the scammers are calling residents, falsely representing themselves as deputies or other personnel from his office. While specific details of the recent calls were not provided, these types of impersonation scams typically involve threats of arrest or demands for immediate payment for fabricated offenses.

“These individuals are preying on fear and trust,” Sheriff Schrader stated. “My office, or any legitimate law enforcement agency, will never call you to demand immediate payment for a warrant, missed jury duty, or any other alleged infraction over the phone, especially not with unusual payment methods.”

The warning comes as similar law enforcement scams continue to plague communities across Georgia. These schemes often fall into two main categories:

Impersonation Scams: Fake Warrants and Fines

How it works: A scammer contacts a resident by phone, claiming to be a police officer, sheriff’s deputy, or even an IRS agent. They will often state that the recipient has an outstanding warrant for their arrest, unpaid taxes, or has missed jury duty.

The threat: To create urgency and panic, the scammer will aggressively threaten immediate arrest or jail time if the “fine” or “bail” is not paid at once.

The demand: They invariably instruct victims to pay using methods that are difficult to trace and recover, such as gift cards (e.g., Apple, Google Play, store-specific cards), prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, or increasingly, cryptocurrency.

Red flags: Any unsolicited call demanding immediate payment, threatening arrest, and requiring payment through untraceable methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency should be considered a major red flag. Legitimate agencies do not operate in this manner.

Fake Bonding Company Scams

How it works: In another common tactic, scammers might contact individuals claiming a friend or family member has been arrested and requires money for a bond to be released. They often create a sense of emergency to prevent the victim from verifying the information.

The reality: Legitimate bonding companies do not initiate contact with individuals unsolicited to solicit bond payments. If a loved one is arrested, they would typically contact you directly, or you would be notified through official channels.

How to protect yourself: Independent verification is crucial. If you receive such a call, do not trust the information provided by the caller. Instead, contact the friend or family member directly using a known phone number, or check the official jail roster on your local sheriff’s office or jail’s website to confirm if they are actually in custody.

Key Things to Remember to Protect Yourself:

• Official agencies don’t demand payment over the phone: Real law enforcement and government agencies will not call to threaten you with arrest or demand immediate payment for a warrant or fine.
• Beware of unusual payment methods: Be highly suspicious of any request to pay with gift cards, prepaid cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. These are almost always signs of a scam.
  Never give out personal information: Do not provide your Social Security number, bank account details, credit card information, or any other sensitive personal data to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.
• Verify independently: If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a government agency or law enforcement, hang up immediately. Then, call the organization directly using their official, published contact information (found on their official website or a trusted phone directory), not a number provided by the suspicious caller.

Sheriff Schrader encourages Chattooga County residents to share this information with elderly family members and neighbors who may be more vulnerable to these sophisticated scams. Anyone who receives such a call is urged to hang up immediately and report the incident to the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office.