LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to be cautious of scammers impersonating deputies over the phone.
According to officials, this scam comes in a few different forms. They will introduce themselves as a deputy or other law enforcement officer and then claim a warrant has been issued for the victim’s arrest. Reasons for the false warrant can often be an overdue fine, a missed court date, failure to appear for jury duty or something similar.
The scammer will then attempt to make the victim pay them over the phone to avoid arrest. According to authorities, they may be asked to pay with cash or credit, gift cards, various payment apps or cryptocurrency.
Victims may feel pressured to pay due to the threatening nature of these calls — but no such calls would ever be made by an actual law enforcement officer, according to officials.
“Real deputies are not going to call you and threaten you with arrest, so just hang up if you get a call like that,” said Louisa County Sheriff Donald Lowe.
These scams can be even more difficult to spot because some scammers will “spoof” their caller ID, making it appear as though they are calling from an actual law enforcement office. They might even email the victim fake credentials.
This scam has been seen on both a local and national level, according to authorities. Those in Louisa County who have been affected by this scam can seek help at 540-967-1234. Residents from other localities should reach out to their local office.
