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Darke County Sheriff
issues phone scam alert
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of a telephone
scam in the Darke County area today. This type of scam has been
going on all around the country for sometime and seems to be
perpetrated in this area periodically.
This particular telephone scam involves the perpetrator identifying
himself as Chief Deputy Mark Whittaker of the Darke County Sheriff’s
Office to obtain money for failing to report for jury duty. In
cases such as these the suspect will utilize the name of someone from
the local community they are calling. This is an attempt to
legitimize the scam. The fictitious telephone number on the
caller ID often shows up as a local number in an effort to lure
unsuspecting victims. The caller will try to intimidate the
victim into complying with the demands. They may try to solicit
information to your accounts or ask you to wire money. When the
victim refuses to comply or questions the legitimacy of the call it is
followed by threats of arrest.
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office does not operate this way. We
do not call and attempt to obtain money for failure to show for jury
duty or any other court processes such as outstanding citations or
warrants.
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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