Scam Alert

The Sheriff’s Office has learned that community members are again receiving calls saying they have warrants out for their arrest for missing a court date.  The callers are demanding to have money sent to clear the warrant.

These calls are a scam, and community members should hang up immediately and not engage with the caller.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office does not make phone calls to community members regarding warrants and would never ask a community member to purchase “cash cards” to pay fees.  If you are the victim of a phone scam and have lost money as a result of the scam, please report it to your local law enforcement agency.  If you did not send any money, you do not need to call and report it. Below are some tips to decrease your chances of becoming a phone scam victim:

·         Never provide personal information to callers, including your name, address, or banking information.

·         Be aware of callers who are unprofessional, pushy, or use scare tactics such as threatening arrest if payment is not made.

·         Callers asking for payment through wire transfer, cash cards such as green dot cards, or other non-trackable methods are signs of a scam.  Legitimate government agencies will not ask you to provide payment using these methods.

·         Do check the caller’s information.  If they claim to be from a law enforcement agency or other governmental agency, call the publicly listed phone number for that agency to verify the caller’s authenticity.

Community members can also report fraud to the Oregon Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline by calling 1-877-877-9392.