The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public of a new scam involving people impersonating law enforcement officers and asking for money.
MCSO said it has taken multiple reports of phone and text scams involving thieves pretending to be law enforcement officials. Some of those scams include missing jury duty or lying about a fake – or sometimes real – criminal case to extort money.
MCSO said if someone is contacting you asking for money, impersonating an officer any government organization, utility company, a bank or a credit card company, hang up and contact the organization directly.
A sure sign of a scam is if you are being asked for payment for anything via gift cards or Bitcoin, MCSO said.
MCSO said if you receive a “distressing message” from a family member or friend needing money immediately, contact that person before sending money. Then, save the information from the message and contact MCSO directly.
