Wayne County sheriff warns of scam; caller claims to be a deputy

Wayne County Sheriff Christopher Rosler has warned citizens about a new scam in the area, involving a caller claiming to be one of his department's deputies.

The sheriff stated that the male scammer has been calling citizens using an "unavailable" number and saying that if they do not cooperate with him, they will be arrested. The caller seems to be referencing court in the phone conversations. The caller stated that he is Detective VanHorn and not to hang up.

The sheriff’s office does have a Deputy VanHorn; however, she is a woman and is not a detective, Rosler pointed out.

"The Sheriff’s office is not in the practice of calling individuals that are wanted. If you receive a call from an unavailable number, I advise to not answer and let it go to voice mail," Rosler said. "Please never arrange to meet the caller or send money to the caller. Most scammers request that you go buy a certain type of gift card and call them with the card number, this a tip off that it is a scam."

He stressed that the sheriff’s office does not have deputies collect any money from the citizens.

The sheriff advised if you receive a call and you believe it is a scam, hang up and call your local police and they can assist you. "Most phone companies offer spam blockers for your phone, and it is a good way to stop some of the scam calls," he said.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website has information on scams and a way to report scams. Visit reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.

The FTC uses these reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams and bad business practices.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Wayne County sheriff warns of scam; caller claims to be a deputy