Lee County Sheriff’s Office warns residents of scam calls

LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WTVM) - A series of scams have been taking place in Lee County. Scammers have been calling citizens over the phone claiming to be deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and they have been using the names of real deputies.

The sheriff’s office says if you receive a call that seems fishy, call a family member or just hang up.

Receiving a phone call from your local sheriff’s office can be nerve-wracking. What’s worse is hearing you didn’t show up for a court date or you forgot to pay a fine. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones says it’s a scam.

”The sheriff’s office, the circuit clerk here in Lee County, the judicial system in general, they’re not going to contact people on a telephone or in an email and say “hey, you need to pay us some money.” That’s not how it works.” said Jones.

Scammers are trying to get people to send money through mobile apps and Green Dot cards. Sheriff Jones says if the sheriff’s office or judicial system needs to get in contact with anyone, it will happen in the form of a physical letter and it will ask the individual to make contact with them in person, and they will never ask for money over the phone.

Anything, involving an attempt to obtain any personal information from you, anything about a bank account, anything about financial concerns. That is not legitimate, that is a scam. Hang up, ignore it. Do not go through with anything that person is asking you to do.” said Jones.

The targets of scammers tend to be senior adults in the community. The sheriff says if the call is fishy or concerning in any way, call a family member or a friend and ask for their opinion before taking any sort of action. Eric Glenn lives in Lee County and says he would tell his parents to call and ask him before giving out information.

“I’ll tell them to call me before they do anything. I’d be skeptical about it too, but I’d want my family to call me before they give them any information,” said Glenn. “Regardless of how it sounds, regardless of where the call is coming from, don’t believe it. Don’t fall for it. Do not comply with anything this person wants. Hang up.”

If anyone in the area receives a call like this, don’t give out any personal information. Call a friend or family member and you can also call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 334-749-5651. They’ll send it off to their investigations department.

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