The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is warning people about an ongoing phone scam in which callers impersonate law enforcement and other government employees to try to obtain money or personal information.
According to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in an online post, the agency continues to receive reports of scammers posing as deputies, supervisors, and other government employees. The callers may claim people missed jury duty, have an outstanding citation, or are facing arrest unless they make an immediate payment. They often spoof phone numbers and use the names of real employees to make the scam appear legitimate.
The Sheriff's Office said it will never call and demand payment. Deputies also said they will never request payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers or payment apps, and they will never threaten arrest over the phone.
People who receive one of these calls are urged to hang up immediately, avoid providing personal information, and verify any claims through official channels.
The Sheriff's Office also encouraged people to share the information with family and friends to help prevent others from becoming victims. Additional fraud prevention resources are available through the agency's Fraud Awareness Hub.
(Washoe County Sheriff's Office contributed to this story.)
