The Hinds County Sheriff’s Officials continue to urge residents not to fall victim to a recent phone scam.
An unknown person is calling residents posing as a Deputy Sheriff threatening to arrest citizens for unpaid fines as well as failing to appear in court.
Officials say that the victim is usually asked to obtain a Green Dot Money Pac Card, and require the victim to give him the 16-digit number from the card.
A media release from the department says that once you give the number, your money is gone.
Major Pete Luke said, “The Sheriff’s Department will NEVER call and ask for money over the phone.” Luke went on to say, “These type scams tend to increase over the holidays.”
John O’Hara with the BBB serving Mississippi echoes that warning and says that scams go well beyond the local level.
“The phone scammers are busy around this time of year, partly because people answer their phones more this time of year,” O’Hara said. “The numbers appear to be local, but they’re not. When you try and call back, they go nowhere, but it’s people saying they’re with tech support, asking for donations, asking you to take a survey.”
O’Hara also said that email scams are equally as prevalent around the holiday season, so be on the lookout for any fraudulent links asking for personal information.
