A person pretending to be from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office stole hundreds of dollars from several residents on Wednesday by scaring them by saying there were warrants for their arrest, officials said.
The caller said the residents would be arrested unless they paid hundreds of dollars, which prompted one man to be scammed out of $1,500, said sheriff's spokeswoman Laura Williams.
That victim was a DeLand resident and the case is being worked by DeLand police, Williams said.
The Sheriff’s Office District 2 office in DeLand received several complaints Wednesday about the caller directing them to the sheriff’s District 2 office and the phone number given to the victims was the Sheriff's Office number.
The caller directed the man to go to Winn-Dixie to buy a MoneyPak. The victim then gave the card's pin number to the scammer.
Williams said the MoneyPak contains a warning on the label that says: Be aware of scams. Only send money to someone you know and trust.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood is alerting residents about scammers pretending to be representatives of his agency, Williams said.
"The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office does not solicit funds. Never have. Never will," Chitwood said. "If you get a call from someone who’s reporting themselves to be Sheriff Mike Chitwood or Deputy John Smith, it’s a fake. It’s a fraud. And they’re out to scam you. Please don’t fall for this scam.”
The Sheriff’s Office does not call people and threaten them with arrest. If you suspect you are receiving a suspicious call like this, hang up immediately. Never, ever give a stranger access to your personal bank account or other financial information, Social Security number or other personal identification, Williams said.