COLUMBUS – The Platte County Sheriff’s Office was recently made aware of a phone scam in which an individual identifies himself or herself as a member of the Sheriff’s Office.
This scam is new to the Sheriff’s Office and causes additional concerns as the individual is identifying himself or herself by using the names of actual Deputies currently working at the Sheriff’s Office.
In the scam, the scammer will identify himself or herself, by name, as a member of the Platte County Sheriff’s Office. The scammer will inform the person that to avoid an arrest warrant being issued for their arrest, for a contempt of court citation, that they can pay off the citation over the phone. The scammer has been known to use fake court numbers and information in an attempt to gain compliance. The scammer has also identified supervisory personal, by name, here at the Sheriff’s Office as they attempt to get the person to comply.
Members of the Platte County Sheriff’s Office do contact members of the public during normal law enforcement duties; however, the Sheriff’s Office will never ask for or demand payment for anything over the phone. If you have any concerns as to the legitimacy of any phone call received by an individual who identifies himself or herself as a member of the Sheriff’s Office, hang up, call the Sheriff’s Office, and ask to speak with the Deputy who identified themselves earlier on the call. Do not call any number until you have verified it is the proper phone number for the Platte County Sheriff’s Office.
