HOWARD COUNTY, TX – The Howard County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about a recent phone scam that is still being reported in the area.
According to a recent social media post, the Sheriff’s Office advised there is still a “Sgt. Ditworth or Duckworth”, calling people identifying himself as a member of the Howard County Sheriff’s Office. Recently, the caller advised a resident that she needed to post a $17,000 bond in order to not be arrested on federal warrants, and told her to send the money by Cashapp or Zelle. The caller then emailed the resident multiple documents. After reviewing these documents the resident contacted the Sheriff’s Office. Upon examination of the documents, the Sheriff’s Office determined that they were fakes and the phone number used to call the resident was fake. Plus, they say that they do not serve federal papers nor do they have a federal judge at our local courthouse.
The Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to be aware of the scam and not to fall for it.
“We have several these scams that go around from time to time, but we never called trying to collect money and we darn sure don’t call you asking for money on Cash App or Zelle. If you’re unsure [that you’ve gotten] a call from us or if it’s a scam just hang up the phone and call us, and we can help you verify that. Anything [attempting to collect money] over the phone we don’t do like that so please please just hang up on the people and call [us] to verify. We have no issue with that,” said Sheriff Parker.
He also advised that if you send any money to the scammers, the chances of it being recovered are very, very slim.
Residents are urged to not fall for this scam. If you get a call and want to verify if it’s legitimate please call the Howard County Sheriff’s Office.
HCSO, office hours (Mon-Fri, 8 AM to 5 PM) call: 432-264-2231
Dispatch (after-hours) call: 432-264-2244
(Photo: Unsplash)
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