The Walker County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about an active phone scam targeting multiple people across the county.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, scammers are calling local residents and falsely identifying themselves as employees of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office. The callers tell victims they missed jury duty, now have a warrant for their arrest and must pay money to resolve the issue.
In some cases, victims are instructed to purchase Green Dot prepaid cards or use other forms of payment to “satisfy” the supposed warrant.
The Sheriff’s Office says these calls are fraudulent and emphasized that deputies or other employees will never call residents and demand money to take care of a warrant or missed jury duty.
“Please do not send money to anyone you do not know,” the Sheriff’s Office warned.
Residents who receive one of these calls should not provide personal or financial information, purchase prepaid cards or send money to the caller.
Anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming to be from the Walker County Sheriff’s Office can contact the agency directly to verify whether the call is legitimate.
Officials are encouraging residents to remain cautious and to make family members, particularly those who may be vulnerable to these types of scams, aware of the warning.