New Phone Scam in Ohio

Joe Browning, Gallia County Sheriff, was contacted by Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association concerning a scam circulating around parts of Ohio. The scam is currently operating in the Mahoning County area of Ohio.

Sheriff’s Officials suspect that this is happening in other counties as well. The details of the scam attempt is as follows:

The Caller identifies himself or herself as a deputy sheriff, or other law enforcement agent, from a particular county and that there is a warrant for the call receivers arrest for failure to appear. This can be taken care of by posting bond over the phone. This cannot be satisfied by appearing in person it has to be done over the phone. Credit card information is taken from the unsuspecting individual and funds are deducted from the credit card. This is all false and is designed to obtain credit and personal info from the unsuspecting citizen. We recommend you never give personal information out by phone. If you receive a call from a law enforcement agency, feel free to ask the caller’s name and call them back to confirm the legitimacy of the call. Sheriff Joe Browning commented that his office “does not collect fines, does not collect fines over the phone, and does make phone calls to threaten to arrest anyone for not paying a fine”, and does not ask for fines to be paid with any self-paid credit card. If in doubt residents should contact their local law enforcement agency or Sheriff’s Office to report such calls.