No, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office is not selling T-shirts

H. Rose Schneider, Observer-Dispatch
·2 min read
Oneida County Sheriff's Office

Text messages claiming to be selling Oneida County Sheriff's Office T-shirts are circulating in the area, but officials advise not to click on the link.

According to a post on the Oneida County Sheriff's Facebook page, the messages are a scam.

Screenshots shared on the post show messages from different, out-of-area numbers offering discount codes for "Oneida County Sheriff's Office shirt," followed by a link.

"Residents should not click on the link in the text, as it's a scam," the post states. "The Oneida County Sheriff's Office is NOT selling shirts."

Those with further information can contact the sheriff's office nonemergency line at 315-736-0141.

Other area law enforcement agencies like the Oneida City Police Department and Onondaga County Sheriff's Office warned of the same scam using their departments' names. Agencies as far away as Florida also have warned of these text messages.

Spam sent via text message offering anything from payday loans, free ringtones or gift cards are on the rise, according to the New York State Office of the Attorney General. Messages may ask for a reply text or include a link.

"The link may lead to a website where you're asked to confirm your name and e-mail address, but eventually, to enter more valuable information, such as your date of birth, mailing address, and/or credit card number," the office states. "Responding to the text will likely trap you into a paid subscription service."

The state office of the Attorney General offers the following best practices for text scams:

  • Do not post your phone number publicly.

  • Do not respond to the spam message.

  • Be selective when subscribing to legitimate text alerts.

  • Research all suspicious texts.

  • Report all text spam to your carrier.

There is one way Oneida County residents can receive sheriff's office apparel: the agency is currently hiring. Officials advised those interested to apply online or contact the sheriff's Community Affairs Office at 315-765-2224 or communityaffairs@oneidacountysheriff.us

H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County Sheriff's Office says it's not selling T-shirts