Fayetteville Today

Town of Spring Lake issued the following announcement on Jan. 31.

It has been reported to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office that another aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting citizens has been making the rounds throughout the county. Callers claim to be employees of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office but are not. The callers sound convincing when they call, especially since they are impersonating employees and using Sheriff's Office employee names. They may know a lot about their targets. These con artists constantly change the phone numbers they are calling from and use different employee names and ranks. Sometimes they alter the caller ID to make it look like the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is calling. This time, scammers call from phone number (910) 427-0220. The scammers often leave an "urgent" callback request if the phone isn't answered.

Victims are told they owe money. Scammers demand that the debt be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card/gift card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are threatened with arrest, deportation, or suspension of a business or driver's license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

Note that the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office will NEVER: 

The Sheriff's Office will NEVER: 1) call to demand immediate payment, nor will any LAW ENFORCEMENT agency call about a jury summons without first having mailed you a summons;

The Sheriff's Office will NEVER: 2) require you to use a specific payment method for your fine, such as a prepaid debit card; 

The Sheriff's Office will NEVER: 3) ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone or in person.

The Sheriff's Office will NEVER: 4) threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you believe these scammers have contacted you, don't hesitate to get in touch with Attorney General Josh Stein at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or (910)716-6000 or the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office at (910)323-1500.

 Original source can be found here.

Source: Town of Spring Lake