INVERNESS, FL (352today.com) – The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) wants to keep the Grinch from stealing your Christmas and your identity.
The sheriff’s office says it received multiple reports on Wednesday that citizens are getting calls from a scammer posing as a CCSO deputy. In a Facebook post, CCSO says the scammer claims there’s a warrant out for your arrest and you’re needed at the courthouse immediately.
Deputies say these types of scams are common and the scammer’s goal is to get your personal information or steal money from you.
“CCSO will NEVER call you and advise you of an open warrant – we will not even confirm if a warrant exists over the phone,” said the sheriff’s office in the Facebook post.
In addition to the sheriff’s office, the Citrus County Clerk of Court has also issued a warning that scammers are pretending to be from their office.
Officials from both offices are reminding everyone that they will not call or demand money to resolve issues and you should NOT disclose personal information, such as social security or bank account numbers.
They emphasize that they do not call to demand payment to avoid being served with a court warrant, summons or subpoena.
“No warrant, owed taxes, or past due bills will ever require the purchase of a gift card to satisfy the issue,” said the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office said scammers will spoof phone numbers so that it looks like it is coming from them. They say if you doubt the validity of the phone call, write down as much information as you can about the call and then hang up.
You can check the Clerk’s online court case system, to see if you have an open court case or call the Clerk’s office at (352) 341-6424.
If you think you’re the victim of a scam, contact the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office at (352) 249-2790 or the Florida Division of Consumer Services at 800-HELP-FLA.