A sheriff's office is warning community members about a phone scam in which callers impersonate sheriff's office employees and demand payment to avoid a fake arrest.
The sheriff's office has received reports from residents who were contacted by someone claiming to be from the agency.
In these calls, the scammer tells the victim there is a warrant for their arrest and demands immediate payment to avoid being taken into custody.
Scammers have been using the names of actual sheriff's office employees to appear more credible.
Victims are then directed to a fraudulent website designed to closely mimic the official sheriff's office website.
While the fake site appears nearly identical to the real one, it includes a payment option that does not exist on the legitimate website. The official sheriff's office website is slosheriff.org.
The sheriff's office is making clear this is a scam. The agency will never contact people by phone to demand money, request payment for bail, or resolve warrants.
Anyone who receives a call of this nature should hang up immediately and report the incident to their local law enforcement agency.
