Sheriff's office warns of phone scams
Apr. 23—CUMBERLAND — The Allegany County Sheriff's Office is alerting area residents to phone scams where callers pose as members of law enforcement to coerce victims into giving them money.
The scams vary, but generally the caller states they are a law enforcement officer and tells the victim a warrant has been issued because they missed a court date, did not show up for jury duty or something similar, and they will be arrested unless they pay right away.
Callers may use the names of actual law enforcement officers and disguise their phone number to look like they are calling from local agencies.
"Rest assured that real deputies are not going to call you and threaten you to take your money," the sheriff's office said. "If you have been the victim of a scam like this, you should notify your financial institution immediately, and report it to your local law enforcement agency."
