The Washoe County Sheriff's Office wants to warn resident about a phone scam going around.
Officials said the phone scam claims to be from the Sheriff's Office and is demanding the potential victim to pay 'unpaid tickets' immediately.
Washoe County Sheriff's Darin Balaam issued this statement below on Tuesday:
“We are thankful a potential victim called the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office which alerted us to this particular scam,” said Sheriff Balaam. “There are many current scams where would-be crooks are pretending to be employees of the Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to steal a victim’s hard-earned money.
“The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office won’t call you for unpaid tickets. Likewise, we won’t call you for an outstanding warrant,” Balaam continued. “Oftentimes, phone scammers will ask you to settle your purported issue by purchasing a gift card and providing the P.I.N. information over the phone. If you receive a phone call like this I encourage you to immediately get off the phone and contact the Sheriff’s Office.
“Personal and financial information should never be given out over the phone unless you are one hundred percent sure of the caller’s credibility,” Sheriff Balaam said. “It’s important for people to understand that if they are uncomfortable with a phone call, they can and should hang up without providing any information to the caller.”
“No matter how aggressive a caller may be, get off the phone and verify their credibility independently,” Sheriff Darin Balaam said. “Your safety, and the safety of your personal information, come first.”
Sheriff Balaam wants to remind people to stay alert and talk with friends and family and the current rush of scams.
Anyone who has been a victim of this scam or who receives such a call is asked to take down as much information as possible, such as a name and call back number, without giving any information away. Then, contact your appropriate law enforcement agency.
