HUMBOLDT – The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has recently received several reports of a phone scam targeting our community.
As part of this scam, the caller claims they are from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and may identify as current and/ or former employees. The scammer tells the victim that he is a deputy and claims that the victim missed a subpoena to court and must now pay a fine immediately to avoid arrest.
Some victims have reported that the scammer knows personal information about them, including nicknames and former court records and insists that they are not allowed to get an attorney or seek outside help. The scammer is spoofing the HCSO’s phone number, (707) 445-7251, with their caller ID identifying the caller as our office.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like the community to know that this is a scam. While law enforcement may contact you regarding a warrant or investigation, we will never demand payment in exchange for dropping a warrant or stopping an investigation.
Additionally, no government agency will ask you to mail large sums of cash, use a credit card over the phone or pay with gift cards or pre-paid money cards. If you have any questions about a call, please call us at (707) 445-7251.
Remember these tips to help protect yourself from fraud:
• Spot imposters – Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity or a company with which…
