A warmer Thursday start with stray showers this afternoonFTC issues refunds of over $5M to Ring customers; are you eligible?
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office wants to warn residents of a phone scam that has been circulating. The scam involves callers impersonating members of the Sheriff’s Office. CCSO’s “Call Before You Pay” fraud hotline has received multiple complaints about this scam and says the callers will identify themselves as law enforcement officers. In some cases, callers claimed to be specifically with CCSO. Deputies say the scammers will tell potential victims they have an outstanding warrant for an unpaid debt and that they’re required to pay a fine. If the fine isn’t paid, they’ll be arrested. Payment options typically involve getting a prepaid gift card and providing personal information like a Social Security Number to the scammer. If you receive a phone call that sounds like this, please report it to CCSO immediately. This kind of scam can take on many forms including callers impersonating the IRS, your bank, utilities and other legitimate organizations. CCSO advises anyone who receives a call requesting money or personal information not to provide that information over the phone. Instead, hang up. If you think that the caller may have been the real organization, look up the legitimate number and then call it to verify the information you received over the phone. Deputies would also like to remind residents that members of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office will never contact you by telephone about an arrest warrant or fine. Deputies will never ask you to obtain a prepaid credit card to pay a fine to avoid arrest or ask you for your own personal credit/debit card information, to include the pin number and any other identifying information over the telephone. For assistance with any suspicious encounter involving a request for money or personal information, contact the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s “Call Before You Pay” hotline at (239) 252-CALL (2255). The hotline is staffed by a CCSO deputy in the Financial Crimes Bureau between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.