The Sheriff’s Department is advising county residents this holiday season to be suspicious of receiving phone calls from individuals who are representing themselves as department employees.
The caller will typically tell the person that a warrant has been issued for their arrest for failure to appear for jury duty. The caller will tell the potential victim that they must pay a sum of money or deputies will arrive at their home and arrest them. Then the caller will instruct the person to either get a money order, do a wire transfer, purchase a gift card (usually Green Dot) and send it to “pay the fine.”
The Sheriff’s Department nor any government agency calls to solicit money for fines, nor does the department solicit warrant information over the phone. No branch of law enforcement will request a person to send a money order, gift card or wire transfer. Sheriff’s Department personnel do not appear at a person’s home to collect a fee for a warrant.
The department cautions residents to never give personal information to anyone over the phone, specifically checking or savings accounts, credit card, social security, ATM pin numbers or any type of identifying information. Phone scam thieves will try to trick you into giving them money and information. If you receive a phone call, always verify who the caller is and never use a phone number they give you; these numbers typically go to a voice recording/message.
If you have sent money or believe that you have been a victim of a crime, call the nearest sheriff’s station or police precinct and report the incident. If you receive a suspicious phone call/solicitation that you believe is not from a real government agency, call the Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 593-8222. You may also file a complaint on their website at dca.lacounty.gov.