Scammers spoofed a sheriff’s office phone line

An Oconeean recently answered her telephone recently to a call that displayed the non-emergency line of the county sheriff’s office.  The sheriff’s office says this was a scam by someone pretending to be a deputy sheriff.  The caller warned the person called that she needed to pay money due to a warrant that had been issued for people who fail to show for court.  “One of the biggest tricks that scammers use is to create a sense of urgency or pressure in order for the victim to make a decision in haste or in a panic they would not make otherwise,” says Master Deputy Jimmy Watt, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office.  In this case, the woman was advised to stay on the phone with the caller while she went to the bank.  The bank teller told her she believed this was a scam and told her to hang up the phone and call the law.