$11 thousand lost in scams

Scams in which two Oconeeans were bilked out of a total of $11 thousand dollars are highlighted in this month’s                                                                                                                                                           scams update from the county sheriff’s office.  And what happened in each makes for a lesson for everyone to be on the guard against cheats.  An Oconeean lost about $6 thousand to a telephone scammer who impersonated an “Officer Sellers”.  The so-called Officer Sellers claimed his victim missed jury duty and an arrest warrant had been issued.”  Master Deputy Jimmy Watt, public information officer, says, “…a law enforcement officer will not demand payment, in order to either drop a charge or have an arrest warrant or a bench warrant issued.”  In another scam, an Oconeean hired a company to repair a driveway.  An amount of $5 thousand had been agreed to, but only $3 thousand had been paid due to the job not being completed.  The contractor obtained the last payment and promised to finish the job the next week.  The work was never finished.  Watt says, “We do not recommend hiring a contractor who arrives at your residence or business, unannounced, and seeks to perform a job….”