WEST BOYLSTON – Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis is warning residents about a recent phone scam in which the caller tells victims they have an arrest warrant issued in their name.
According to a press release from the sheriff, the scammer tells victims that in order to avoid going to jail, the caller tells the individual they need to pay a fine.
Unlike previous scams which involved claims of missed jury duty, the current scam does not say what the “warrant” is issued for, according to the release.
The scam artist also fraudulently uses the Sheriff’s Office name and/or a phony telephone number, often 508- 635-0166, according to the release.
This telephone line has a misleading recording designed to sound like the Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.
“This number is not associated with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department and is a scam,” reads the release.
In recent days, the Sheriff’s Office has received numerous reports of this type of phone scam.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office encourages people to be aware of calls like this and to never give personal or financial information over the phone to anyone whom you didn’t call yourself, according to the release.
“Our department does not contact residents and demand payment or ask for credit card information. Today’s scam artists are always trying to stay ahead of the curve, residents need to beware of any unsolicited calls that ask for cash, money card payments, their personal or credit card information.” Evangelidis said.
“These callers can sound convincing, will be aggressive and try to intimidate you, even threaten you with jail time. We encourage anyone who gets a suspicious call to just hang up or call authorities first before giving out any type of personal information or money,” Evangelidis said.
