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Darke County Sheriff
Darke County Phone
Scam Alert issued
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of a telephone
scam in the Darke County area yesterday. This type of scam has
been going on all around the country for sometime and seems to be
perpetrated in this area periodically.
The telephone scam involved the perpetrator identifying himself as a
Darke County Deputy attempting to obtain fine or bond money for false
unpaid fines. In one case the suspect utilized the name of an
actual local deputy and judge in an effort to legitimize the
scam. The fictitious telephone number on the caller ID shows up
as local number in an effort to lure unsuspecting victims. The
caller will try to intimidate the victim into complying with the
demands. In this case the victim was advised they had outstanding
traffic citations and had failed to appear in court or pay fines.
The suspect asked the victim to go to a local retail store to buy a
money card and then provide the numbers on the card so the suspect can
then take control of the money. When the victim refuses to
comply or questions the legitimacy of the call it is followed by
threats of arrest. These cases are still under investigation.
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office as with most law enforcement agencies
do not operate this way. We do not call and attempt to obtain
money for outstanding citations or warrants from people by telephone
for any reason.
Deputies do commonly make phone calls to follow up on investigations
and reports. A deputy will never ask you for money. If a
person questions the validity of a deputy’s call they will often be
asked to call back on our publically known telephone number 548-2020
and ask for the deputy who will then take the call.
Sheriff Toby Spencer is warning citizens not to fall for this
scam. In all situations, it is important that citizens do not
verify or provide any personal information over the phone unless they
positively know or trust the caller. Best course of action if you
suspect you are receiving a scam call is to hang up immediately.
Any citizens who have suffered a monetary loss or feel they have
compromised their personal identifying information can contact the
Darke County Sheriff’s Office at 937-548-2020 or their local law
enforcement agency.
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